The Gift
by ClosetRomanticSockpuppet
Summary: Kaoru was fully content to pretend that she didn't see ghosts, or demons or other critters while struggling to keep her father's dojo afloat. She had no idea that the gift Sano would give her would turn her life upside down. But sometimes the unexpected can just turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to you.Even if you end up having to survive a struggle for power first.
1. Chapter 1

**The gift.**

"_Nearly all the best things that came to me in life have been unexpected, unplanned by me."~ Carl Sandburg_

Sometimes she just hated mornings.

Kaoru couldn't help but sigh as she stood before the closed paper doors of her father's-no, _hers _now- dojo. Inside she could hear the scuffles and the snorts and the scratch of nails over wooden floors that told her that there was a _Keukegen _inside. Long black hair and tiny enough to pass for a small dog, the creature on its own was harmless enough for a demonic kind of creature. The only problem was that they tended to carry diseases in the same way that rats did and with no way of knowing whether it was clean or not, she had no choice but to force it out.

Painfully aware of the letter she received a month ago still glaring at her from its spot on the low table in her living room, Kaoru was all too glad to allow the household chores to distract her from the uncertain future ahead. So she pulled on the ropes holding her wide sleeves back and tightened her grip on the battered but trusty broom in her hands. The moment she slid open the door of the dojo she could see it slink back into the small shadows that were still there this early in the morning. Most people would have missed it, never have known it was in their home at all. Plenty of people fell repeatedly ill because of these creatures but with ready alibis like allergies at hand, it was rare for them to call for people with the gift to see them. People like Kaoru but more willing to meddle in the matters of the 'afterlife'. The assistant instructor was quite content being just that and not deal with things like _demons_ and _ghosts _and all the other critters she pretended not to see, thank you very much.

"Shoo!" She ordered more than cried, shoving the broom hard into what she guessed was the rear of the _Keukegen _( it was a little hard to tell when it came to these critters).

"Go bother someone else! Out with you!" She continued, making brushing motions as she chased the black furry creature out of her it took a little longer than she would have liked and she ended up flushed and breathing heavily by the time it finally slunk to the shadows of the walls separating her home from the neighbours. The shadows bulged with the creature and she saw a ripple of them rise and then fall over the top of the thin wall. She would have to think of an excuse to make one of those exorcist-people drop by her neighbour's later, and preferably one who didn't rip off the ordinary folk as much as most did. She was sure she could dive into her father's old books and find some kind of spell to vanquish it if she wanted to but the thought of going through his things was still too painful. Besides, she tried not to vanquish the creatures she saw at all if she could help it. No matter what form, she never liked killing and too much of her family's nonlethal sword art was already ingrained within her.

Leaning heavily on the same battered broom that had swatted at the behind of the _Keukegen _Kaoru took her time to overlook that what had always been her home. The property her father-no _she_ now- owned was still moderately modest but it had enough room for the dojo to stand separately and still leave enough room for a proper garden. Neither she nor her father had much of a green thumb, so other than the well there was little to make use of said room. And only a path leading to the front of her home and to her dojo, thick slates of stones that followed each other just a tad unevenly, was there to serve as decoration.

It had never appeared as too big for her and her father but now that it was just Kaoru it felt a little overwhelming. Every chore she would have to do herself and she would also have to take on what had always been his job exclusively. Things like maintenance on the roof; there was just no way for her to make enough money to hire someone to do it for her. The grief of losing her father along with the heavy responsibility of keeping the dojo afloat settled slowly on her shoulders to form a heavy weight.

Just as she was about to allow herself to despair, just a little to get it out of her system, did the copper bell that hung by her front gate ring. She blinked in surprise because it was too early for her students and with all her time being consumed teaching them; she didn't have that many friends. The only friend she had had just send her a postcard from the other side of Japan, and no matter how fast Sanosuke could run, that ruled him out. Setting the broom against one of the pillars that supported the roof of her home, Kaoru made sure her hands were free to greet her unexpected visitor.

She hadn't expected to see Yahiko.

To say that she only took human students would be a downright lie as there were three other kinds of creatures in her class in total and Yahiko was one of them. Kaoru had learned, as a child, that most of the superstitions her people had about demons and ghosts and other creatures were either inaccurate or highly exaggerated. Her father had never possessed her gift, though he was aware of it, and this had allowed her to keep quiet and so trick her father into taking in all worthy of the Kamiya sword style, not just the humans.

It would be fair to say that Yahiko had always, secretively, been her favourite out of all of her (human _and_ non-human) students.

Proud enough for it to get in his way, Yahiko had often found trouble that required him to defend himself and in the middle of one of those troubles, her father had picked him up and taken him under his wing as a student. His eyes were dark but they never failed at showing what he felt, whether it was the deep brown shade of determination or the almost black that revealed his troubled home. He never complained, his pride wouldn't let him, but sometimes he would show bruises that weren't the result of the wood of the _bokken_ used in sparring. He was wearing one of such bruises now, a thick swelling on his left cheek that wasn't there yesterday. He glared up at her from under the black hair of his bangs and the movement made her realize he was also sporting a black eye. He wasn't glaring at her in anger but rather in that stubborn proud way that she had got used to seeing from him. It was the look of a boy who lost everything but his pride and he clung to it desperately.

"Yahiko?" She questioned when he remained silent and in response she saw his hands curl into tight fists that painted his knuckles white.

"I can't come to practise anymore, Ugly." He bit out the words with such force that she could practically see the bile rise from the back of his throat.

He was shaking with what she guessed was a mixture of despair and anger and his ears were lowered to the point of pressing to his skull. Only pride kept his tail from creeping between his legs but it was nevertheless curled inwards. Yahiko was one of the students that were not human and though Kaoru wasn't very knowledgeable about demons she knew this kind: _Tanuki. _She had always had a certain attraction to the racoon/dog-like creatures and with Yahiko it was no different.

_Tanuki _had the reputation of being mischievous and jolly if a little gullible and absentminded and were experts in disguise. It had taken her a while to recognise these traits in Yahiko, who only seemed far too proud and _lonely_ to her but she didn't know anyone who had the boy's laugh when he allowed it to be heard and there was definitely mischief glinting in his eyes every time he insulted her. _Tanuki_ were shape shifters and she guessed that they used some kind of magic tied to that as well for none of her other students ever seemed to notice Yahiko's tail or ears. The boy seemed to prefer to pretend to be human like the rest of them.

"What do you mean you can't come to practise?" She demanded when he remained silent after his little declaration. Her blue eyes flashed with indignation and habit made her put her hands on her hips as she glared down at her favourite student, "I didn't realize you were getting lazy, idiot."

"I can't afford to pay for classes," Yahiko spit out rather than answered, a dull flush slowly creeping up from under his collar. His shame and embarrassment was written all over his easily read face and his tail flickered angrily as he continued, "I need the money for food and shelter."

It seemed that his caretakers had finally made the decision to kick him out. The boy never revealed much but Kaoru had picked up enough to know that both his parents had died when Yahiko was young. In whoever's care the boy had ended up, they had made it quite clear that it wasn't an arrangement that was to last and that it was a very unwilling one indeed. Truthfully it wouldn't surprise the assistant instructor if the _tanuki _had walked out of that home himself.

To Kaoru's credit, she only hesitated for long enough to wonder whether she was _able_ to take care of them both rather than just willing before she uttered an exaggerated sigh.

"_Mou_," She drawled out before reaching out to rest her hand on the boy's head. His ear gave way under the weight of her hand and on instinct his head lowered a little in instant submission. Yahiko cringed, expecting something painful but Kaoru only shifted her grip until his black locks tangled easily with her pale fingers so that she could use his hair to gently tug him inside the walls of her home.

"It was about time that my _apprentice…_" She stressed the word quite deliberately, meeting Yahiko's surprised brown eyes with her confident blue's, "…moved into a place where I can keep a better eye on him. You're going to have to get used to sore muscles because it's about time your training stepped up and I won't allow you to slack off. And I'm not going to do all the chores by myself, you know."

She grinned down at him, using his surprise to usher him a few steps deeper into her garden and then onwards towards her home.

"Idiot, starting extra training without me. Now, before we can do anything we got to take care of your bruises." She continued her supposed "grumbling" as Yahiko still seemed unable to believe his ears and when he searched her expression she allowed herself a tiny wink. Immediately he huffed and crossed his arms and both his chin as his ears once again rose proudly.

"That's what you get for being so slow at recognizing supreme talent. I couldn't wait on you forever, Ugly."

They bickered all the way back to her-no _theirs _ now- home.

* * *

It took them no more than a week to settle into living together and to redefine their relationship.

Yahiko was startled when she revealed that she had always known what he was but it had made things a lot easier on the both of them afterwards. With Yahiko free to admit to his non-human status, he could ask for the things he needed rather than sneaking them in somehow. Kaoru hadn't minded shifting her diet a little to better suit the growing racoon-dog, she liked tofu well enough but his need for extra meat was far from unpleasant.

A little more difficult was the excess energy that the boy seemed to have. Even after having completed a thousand swings with his _bokken_ as ordered, the boy still managed to find the energy to bicker endlessly with her. She often found herself reduced back to inventing new chores for him to do just to avoid the urge to strangle him. Nevertheless Yahiko proved to be a welcome distraction from the death of her father and with his own misery still weighing on his shoulders, he ended up also being an unexpected source of understanding. Together they rebuild their lives and even when the students ended up slowly leaving the dojo, forcing Kaoru to begin teaching outside of it, they were happy enough. They managed fine with just the two of them and the occasional letter of Sanosuke whom Yahiko still only knew by name.

It was well over a year before their little seclusion was interrupted by said man.

Kaoru had just turned eighteen, Yahiko now was what had to be the equivalent of a ten-year-old, but they had done little to celebrate this fact. Truthfully the raven haired woman had been caught up in the sudden surge of dojo's requiring an extra hand and carefully setting aside the extra money that it brought her. The only thing that she had done was give in to Yahiko's teasing and buy one small present for herself: a deep blue silken cloth to tie up in her hair. She was just fastening it in her hair still damp from her bath; she had just returned teaching, when she could swear there was a change of wind in the air. It wasn't something she could see so much as something she sensed and it drove her to distraction, forcing her to pull out the cloth from her hair and retie it because of her earlier messy job.

"Yahiko?" She called for her student, frowning a little as she gathered her _kimono_ around her before rising. She opened the paper door from her room and after two steps another one and somehow managed to gather speed between the two. Something was…different. Not wrong but different and it nagged at her senses until she couldn't help but haste.

She found Yahiko glowering up at a man who was almost twice his height and looking completely at home in her garden.

Cocky grin, hair all over the place and dark eyes glinting with a dark kind of humour, Sanosuke was exactly how she remembered him. That which had tensed around her shoulders now relaxed at the sight of her old friend and before Kaoru could stop it her lips cracked into a grin.

She had met Sanosuke when she was still too young to understand what was weird, or wrong, or different and what was considered normal. With her thick hair already escaping the two braids her mother had tried to tame it in, she had escaped her parent's notice long enough to go hunt for toads. Or perhaps it would be fairer to say they allowed her to wander off while they themselves settled beneath the shade of the tree with a picnic basket between them.

It had been an unusually hot summer until the grass beneath her feet was already showing signs of dehydration and more wildlife had been looking for the relief of the cool stream. She had just settled her eye on a big warty toad, both hands ready to snatch it, when a rooster had appeared out of nowhere and ruined her chance. The bird had pecked at the toad at the same time that she had reached for it and she ended up with a small red spot to show for it. She had complained, she had heard the flutter of a chicken's wing and suddenly there had been a boy, her age, with his eyebrows knotted together in a concerned frown. She barely blinked at his sudden appearance, accepting it as only a child could, and had played with him all afternoon, the boy, the rooster…

The _Basan._

"Sano!" She cried, already opening her arms because Sano was looking away from her glowering apprentice to grin a familiar grin at big arms scooped her up easily, because the muscles revealed by his open jacket did not quite do justice to his immense strength, and she laughed as he spun her. There was something a little wiser in her friend's eyes, the wisdom of foreign lands and the endless adventures he must've already had, but other than that he was still the man she knew. He put her down as gently as she knew he would.

"I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me. It's been a month since your last letter, too." She said, already reaching out to tug Yahiko closer. Her student wasn't very fond of strangers, a leftover from his troubled childhood, but there was a curiosity in his gaze. He had heard her stories about Sanosuke after all so all he needed was a little push. And Kaoru was good at pushing.

"Sorry, sorry," Sanosuke replied easily, carelessly waving his hand as if she had nothing to be concerned about, "I just got held up, that's all. I'm here to stay for a bit." His gaze shifted to Yahiko and noted her hand on his shoulder, "So this is your famous apprentice, huh?"

Beneath her hand she felt Yahiko relax and without looking at him she knew that he was grinning again. Nevertheless she gave him an affectionate squeeze the moment he answered her old friend, "The one and only!"

"Yahiko has been eager to see your fire trick." She admitted to Sanosuke, grinning as Yahiko glowered at her.

The _Basan_, traditionally, was viewed as a fire breathing chicken. According to legends, it disappeared whenever you heard the clap of its wings. Kaoru knew, now, that only the younglings actually changed into the bird form and that the fire wasn't caused by their breaths. Instead Sanosuke's right hand could hold a fire that did not burn but did crush boulders and break bones.

She had to be thankful for the fact that Sano was on her side.

"Sorry, kid-"

"Don't call me kid!"

"But I don't actually breathe fire," Sanosuke continued as if Yahiko hadn't objected, "And right now I'm too hungry for it, anyway."

"Well you're going to have to wait; I haven't had time to cook yet." Kaoru mercilessly ruined his hopeful look towards the kitchen, "But you can set your things in the guest room while I cook."

"Not that _that_ is much to look forward to." Her apprentice grumbled and earned himself a good whack on the back of his head without the assistant instructor ever having lost her smile.

* * *

Dinner was mostly about catching up, sharing information that could not be shared in letters.

It kept them occupied enough that even Yahiko forgot to complain about her cooking. Sanosuke had been all over Japan it seemed and though he seemed open and cheerful, Kaoru got the nagging sense that something had happened. For one, he had had a misunderstanding between him and a human and usually dealings between the two races left consequences for both of them. However Sano made no comment about anything coming out of it and that left her with a weird feeling. And another thing that bothered her that he seemed especially vague about how long he lingered where. She knew it was in the nature of _Basan_ to wander but usually he wasn't this vague about how long he stayed in the towns he encountered. In fact, it could be said that Sano held some pride for the things he had seen and the towns he had wandered into without them ever knowing what he was.

She held back her questions until after dinner and waited for them to settle in the living room with tea for her and Yahiko and some sake for Sanosuke. Yet the _Basan _must've guessed her mood because he quickly put down his sake before grinning and reaching into his white vest with one hand and thoroughly distracting her from her questions. She didn't even know he kept pockets there.

"Ah! Before I forget…" He muttered before pulling out a round object that fit neatly into the palm of his hand, "Here ya go."

And without further ceremony he tossed the round object in her lap. The man didn't even bother to sit up from his cushion. Not that she could blame him; with the paper door half-open to the patio outside it allowed a gentle breeze to flow right past him into the living room. Yahiko, too, lingered near the open door and she wasn't sure whether it was the fact that they were both men or that they were both demon that made them endlessly capable of being comfortably warm. She was more comfortable from her place sheltered behind the closed part of the door, right besides the tea tray.

Kaoru turned her attention from the boys to instead study her unexpected present. It felt heavy when she picked it up, or at least heavier than expected, and was made out of a dark wood that she couldn't recognise off the bat. In her smaller palm it suddenly looked a lot bigger than it did when Sano held it; it filled her palm up till her first knuckle, leaving the rest of her fingers to curl around it. The object was made out of two round parts that pressed together but she could see by the hinge that they could be opened. She didn´t open it yet but instead let her fingers run over the carvings, only now noticing the face of a demon upon it.

It was the well known face of the _Namahage_.

The _Namahage _was a demon known best for being a disciplinary one, both to child and man. Every year, at certain festivals, men dressed up as _Namahage _would visit the homes of families and warn children not to be lazy in their role as said demon. They would bring a message that the parents requested, looking frightening with their long bushy red hair and big gleaming fangs so that they could scare the children in complying. It was said actual _Namahage _would visit men dozing by their fires and wake them up if they found they were sleeping for too long. There were many stories telling that they could be heard asking whether the knives were sharp yet or the bean soup ready and warning of consequences should the human they were talking to continue being lazy. Legends about these hard working demons were well known, Kaoru had been entertained by the stories as a child but she couldn´t quite see why Sano chose to give this to her now. The face of a demon, after all, was hardly a pretty trinket to give to a woman.

"Sano?" She questioned, unable to stop herself from frowning. It was hard to ignore Yahiko's snickering as he realized what figure was carved into the wood and she felt her eyebrow beginning to twitch. "Why did you give me this?"

"Relax Missy," Sano grinned at her, using his nickname for her on purpose, "Why don't you open it before you draw your conclusions?"

The man had a point and so she pushed away her annoyance to curiously tilt the wood in her hands. She found a small latch holding the two parts together and with some careful peeling it came undone. The two parts parted from one another to reveal a gleaming mirror within. Kaoru saw her own surprised face looking back at her before she turned to look at her childhood friend questioningly.

"Don't you girls have an obsession with lookin' good or something?" Sano questioned, awkwardly scratching the back of his head and sending her a sheepish grin, "The guy at the stall said you'd get some good use out of it."

"Sure," Yahiko took his opportunity with such a mischievous grin that only a _Tanuki _could really pull it off, "After the scare of the demon her own face doesn't look that bad."

He earned a good whack on the back of his head for his trouble but Kaoru nevertheless fought back a sigh. What was wrong with cherry blossoms carved into the wood? Or even horses? Not that she had a thing for horses but they were certainly more feminine than a _demon_ and she was acting enough as a man as it was. There must've been something in her face for Sano's shoulders lowered in disappointment.

"You don't like your birthday gift?"

_Some gift._

"No! I mean yes! No, really, I like it. I just…" Kaoru turned the mirror over in her hands, searching for words before finally sighing and offering him a teasing smile, "I just didn't expect a present from you, that's all. You usually forget."

"Well I didn't this time!" Sano swore, but the speed with which she said it made her suspicious.

Smiling to herself (because he had thought about her birthday and weird present or no, too late for the actual date or no, that was kind for a demon) Kaoru turned the mirror over in her hands again but this time paused at the other side. She had thought that only one of the two wooden exteriors was carved but now that she was looking at it more closely she could see a name scratched into the wood. It was faint, already worn to the point of beginning to disappear but there nevertheless.

"There's a name here!" She shared her findings with her friends, ignoring the way Sano was carefully holding his cup of sake away from her curious student, "Himu-"

"Oh I almost forgot!" Sano interrupted her quickly. He pulled a knife out, though she wasn't sure from where, and handed it to her. It was a small knife, hardly better than a letter opener and not quite sure what to do with the thin steel she only stared blankly at the rooster. Sanosuke sighed and gestured to the mirror still in her hands.

"You're supposed to carve your name in the back." He said, and something about his dark brown eyes seemed a little too intense for the conversation they were having. As if, for some reason, it was important that she did. When she didn't move a muscle he sighed and gestured impatiently to the mirror again as he added, "For luck!"

Knowing how superstitious he was, Kaoru couldn't help but smile again but for his sake she obliged. It took her a while to scratch the name besides the other kanji already there, and she felt just a tad guilty. The wood she uncovered with her knife, the deep cuts, was lighter than the rest of the wood and she couldn't help but feel a bit like a vandal. Yahiko took her distraction as an opportunity to bicker with Sanosuke and Kaoru let him; it was good for the boy to make male friends. Lately it had been just the two of them and she knew that he was eager to have some kind of a male role model.

Not that Sano was exactly the perfect candidate for the job but he would have to do for now.

Grinning Kaoru finished the last symbol and as she did so she couldn't help but feel a bit fond of her birthday present. Perhaps it was the fact that Sano, who usually pretended he didn't know she was a girl, acknowledged her feminine side. Or perhaps it was the dark colour and the smooth surface of the wood. Whatever it was, she felt that her fortune might be a little more lucky from now on. Absently she ran her fingers over her own name, feeling the rough edges of the wood scrape over her thumb before she pulled it back a little to study the back.

_Himura Kenshin,_ it said in vague kanji that seemed much more part of the wood than the brighter, freshly cut, kanji besides it.

_Kamiya Kaoru. _

Well, it was officially hers now.

On a whim she opened the mirror to look into it and promptly dropped it. Sano and Yahiko were still bickering and with her hart in her throat she turned an uncertain eye towards them but they had really seen nothing. She was…she had been sure. There had been a man, a man with fierce red hair and golden eyes staring back at her. It had just been a flash but the woman was sure she had seen something. With careful trembling fingers she picked up the mirror again braced herself as she opened it.

All that was staring back at her was her own reflection.

Well it _had_ been a long day, she had to admit, and perhaps that was doing things to her imagination and eyesight. Tiredly she rubbed her eyes, trying to calm her racing heart and completely missed the glance Sano send her way. There were no men who made a habit out of living in mirrors anymore than there were men on the moon. She was more worried now where she would have conjured such an imagination from than that she worried about what she had seen. Finishing her cup of tea she came to a decision and softly cleared her throat to catch the other's attention.

"I'm going to bed. Yahiko, try not to stay up much longer I won't take it easy on you just because Sano's here." She announced, stretching lazily as she got to her feet and contently ignoring her student's protest. She took a moment to look Sanosuke in the eye and offer him a genuine smile as she added, "Thank you for the present, Sano."

"No problem, Missy." Sano waved her off.

"Do you need anything for the guest room?"

"Nah, I knew where everything was."

"Alright, good night."

"Night." Both men chorused, and Kaoru lightly waved at them before returning to her bedroom.

* * *

But back in her bedroom sleep completely evaded her. She was putting off going to bed and taking her time to brush her hair in front of the long mirror that had once belonged to her mother. She already got all the knots out but she was not quite ready to braid it just yet, not with her mind still so full of questions. What she had seen would not let her go, could not be explained and it troubled the raven haired woman. Kaoru's eyes kept returning to the mirror Sano had given her, sitting innocently on the not-so-neatly folded pile of clothes of today. Her brushing slowed, she hesitated but then in an impulsive move she leaned over to grab it again.

By the flickering light of the only lit lamp in her room she could make out that unfamiliar name besides her own.

"Himura Kenshin." She uttered, just to get a feel of this name that belonged to a complete stranger. She wondered what kind of man he was because it was definitely a man's name but as far as she knew not many men had the habit of carrying around mirrors.

"Yes, this one is here, that I am."

Kaoru's heart leapt to her throat and then to her parted lips to escape there in a shriek of utter terror. She only saw a flash of red and a scar and not golden but _violet _eyes before she tumbled and then turned to crawl on hands and knees away from her mother's mirror. Vaguely she heard an innocent sounding "Oro?" behind her but her priority was _distance _and she had no room for anything else until she got said distance. Only with her back against the paper door and with the sound of the running footsteps of Yahiko and Sano to comfort her did she dare to look back into her mother's long mirror.

He was still there. And much larger now not convinced to her tiny hand-held mirror.

His violet eyes were widened comically before a sheepish smile was curving his lips. He was holding up his hands in a placating gesture and kneeling within her mirror but his flaming red hair betrayed him.

_Namahage._

"Kaoru!" Yahiko and Sanosuke came bursting into her room, looking worried but only finding her with her back against the wall and with no immediate threat in sight. Her door wasn't made for the violence with which the boys opened it in their haste but at the moment it was the furthest thing from her mind. Kaoru raised a trembling hand to point at the mirror and thus to the red-head's vaguelly concerned expression and tried to speak.

"He…he…he…" Her throat felt tight, she couldn't blink and _he was still there. _

"Ah…" Sano drawled and the sheepish note in his voice spelled _doom _rather than _comical relief_ to her_, _"I see you met Kenshin."

"_Who _is_ Kenshin?"_


	2. The Namahage

**Author's note:**

**Before I begin this next chapter I'd like to clear something up. The creatures mentioned in this story are based on creatures of Japanese folklore and adapted to fit into my story. I am aware that Japanese make the distinction between different kinds of demons (such as oni, youkai and the like) but in this story I will not. I prefer to keep it easy to read and understand at first glance and I do not think that that kind of information is necessary to this story. Thus non-human creatures will be divided into two categories: ghost/spirit or demon.**

**.**

**Chapter two: the Namahage.**

"_When you are dining with a demon, you got to have a long spoon.__" - __Navjot Singh Sidhu__  
_

"_Who_ is _Kenshin?_"

"Ah…" Sano uttered in a clear attempt to save time. He even had the cheek to share a look with the man in her mirror. "It's kind of a long story…"

The red-head didn't let that look linger long however for already he was looking back at her. His violet eyes were a little expectant as if he was waiting for her to speak again, completely ignorant to the fact that her tongue felt like it was made out of cotton in her shock. Whatever ideas he had of her that made him think she was perfectly capable of speaking _now_ he was bound to be thoroughly disappointed in very short order. Her courage was failing her little by little the longer he stared at her with those uniquely coloured eyes.

It had to be the most disturbing thing Kaoru had ever witnessed: her mirror looking back at her. A fact made worse by the obvious intelligence she could see in those weird violet eyes, as if he was already dissecting everything that she was by looking at her alone.

Everything else in her mirror simply reflected the room as it was and so it seemed as if Kenshin was sitting very close to the front of the mirror and the strange mixed with the ordinary was a disturbing mix on its own. The only thing that comforted her, just a little, was that he wasn't making any attempt to get out of it. With a little luck he was unable to, leaving her free to kill Sanosuke the moment her heart stopped buzzing in her ears.

"This one assumed that Sano already explained everything, that he did." The red head told her gently, his smile soft but his eyes flickering back to Sano with enough heat in them to make the _basan _flinch. "I'm sorry to have given you such a fright, that I am."

And then he _bowed_ to her.

"Ah…It's…a-alright.." Her voice was unnaturally high and squeaky and only now did she realize that one of her hands had shot up to clutch at her sleeping _yukata _at her collarbones, as if she was afraid that it would fall open if she didn't. She couldn't help it, with a stranger in her mirror she felt _exposed_ and though he might look like a man she knew that he wasn't.

There was a _demon_ in her bedroom.

Alright, technically there were three of them. But she knew the other two and something within her just knew with deep rooted certainty that this demon was nothing like the demons she had come to know. Nothing like the _keugen_ she could shoo over her fence or the _tanuki_ she had decided to take under her wing. The red-head felt older to her: more powerful and much, much more dangerous even if he was confined to her mirror rather than being there in the flesh.

"Look, Missy, it ain't as bad as it seems." Sanosuke spoke, eager to take advantage of her startled moment.

He and Yahiko finally stepped fully into her room but only Yahiko had the sense to look slightly uncomfortable about it. While the _tanuki_ examined her mirror and the man within it, ironically the one thing he felt was safe to look at in this room, the _basan _walked over to where Kaoru was pressing her back firmly against the wall. When he crouched before her, his familiar dark eyes were concerned but lacked any sign of guilt.

She made a mental note to beat it in later with her _bokken._

"Kenshin isn't going to hurt you." He practically sighed at her, as if she was the one being difficult and unreasonable.

"You still haven't explained who Kenshin _is_." She ground out, her eyes turning stubbornly returning back to her man in the mirror. Of course she realized that Kenshin was probably said man in her mirror but she wanted Sano to tell her more about him and asking _what_ the heck Kenshin was might offend him. It was safer to insist on _who_ he was instead. And in the meanwhile she had no intention of letting the red-head out of her sight: bad things happened when you took your eyes off a demon.

Fire breathing chickens not included.

"That would be the man currently sitting in your mother's mirror and freaking you the fuck out." Sano practically grinned at her but he quickly dropped it when she sent him a look that promised his immediate death.

"_What is he doing in my mirror?_" She hissed at the rooster, scowling at him before peeking over his shoulder. Kenshin was still looking at her, and it made her uncomfortable enough to shift so that Sano blocked his view.

"It's kind of a long story…" Her childhood friend sighed and rubbed the back of his neck before looking up at her. His brow was knotted and his dark eyes pleading silently as he suggested, "If I promise you can beat my skull in later, will you come to the living room so we can talk about it?"

"What'll happen with Kenshin?" She had to ask. The idea of a demon being in her bedroom without her present had to be at least as disturbing as it was now with her still in it. Sanosuke only picked up the round mirror that he had given her that she had dropped in her fright and before shrugging casually.

"He'll come with us in this. Chances are you'll be more ready to listen if he isn't in a mirror that allows him to show his real life size."

Buying for time, Kaoru peeked over Sano's shoulder at the red-head they were discussing. He was looking quite relaxed, hands folded inside his wide sleeves of his kimono and remarkably undisturbed by the way Yahiko kept poking at the mirror in an attempt to touch him. He looked as if he was barely any taller than her, a remarkably short man for a demon. His quiet, however, felt as dangerous as a locked tiger and suddenly she figured she would feel a lot better if said tiger was locked in a smaller cage.

"Alright." She agreed and finally let Sano help her up. It still took the entire way to the living room for her to release the _yukata_ where she was holding it so tightly closed.

* * *

For a moment she had worried how the _Namahage_ could move from mirror to mirror but Sano had simply left the room and she and Yahiko had been forced to follow his lead. It turned out the demon could smoothly slip into the handheld mirror that had been her birthday present, leaving him free to follow them to the living room without needing to even see said mirror.

After she had brewed them all some tea that was just a little too strong, they settled around the low table they usually ate at. Kaoru had taken the opportunity brewing said tea had given her to gather some of her nerves but she still felt off balance and tricked. That which she had thought was a simple birthday present turned out to be just a new kind of trouble brought to her home. She knew that she wasn't the only one feeling this way, because her student's brown eyes had darkened to a near black and his rude comments to Sanosuke now held a bit of a bite to them. He even sat besides the rooster so that Kaoru couldn't take the seat besides the _basan _and instead was forced to take the seat opposite of them, putting more distance between them.

Kaoru tried to gather her thoughts as she poured tea for the two men and herself and ignored the open mirror standing on the table between them. Sanosuke had placed the mirror at the head of the table and Kaoru wondered whether that was meant as a sign of respect to the man within it or if he had done it so that they all had the opportunity to look at him. She nevertheless wished he hadn't, because already his heavy gaze was giving her goose bumps every time it flickered over her and the fact that they could only see his face did nothing to diminish the air of danger he gave off. She was just glad that he seemed curious about Yahiko as well, giving her the occasional relief from his gaze. But she still didn't know why he was here and she was beginning to feel impatient about her lack of knowledge.

"Alright so…" She pierced Sanosuke with a fierce glare, "_Explain."_

"Well before I get right into it, I gotta know. Do ya know what a _Namahage_ does?" Sanosuke asked her while sitting back to make himself more comfortable. There was some tension around his shoulders but she could only tell because she knew him as long as she did. She realized he might not be as comfortable with his decision to give her the mirror as she originally thought.

"They're some kind of disciplinary demon," Kaoru answered carefully, glancing back at Kenshin only to quickly look away when she realized he was looking at her, "They punish people for being lazy."

Yahiko snorted and Kaoru couldn't help but frown at his sudden shift of sides. Just a second ago he had been as irritated with Sano as she was but now the name _Namahage_ was mentioned all bets seemed to be off. Of course as a kind of demon himself, it was natural for the _tanuki _to know more about demons than she did but he had spend most of his life pretending to be human. Most of the time he barely seemed to know anymore than she did, though it had to be said that he usually knew just enough to help her get rid of the smaller critters. For him to now openly mock her lack of knowledge instead of sniping at Sano some more, gave her a renewed sense of doom. Apparently _namahage_ were notorious enough that even a small _tanuki_ knew about them.

She couldn't help but feel annoyed. If he knew more than she did, he should've opened his mouth sooner than this rather than let her babble on and show her ignorance.

"Idiot," The _tanuki_ scowled at her, holding his teacup closer to himself. Kaoru couldn't help but feel that it was a defensive movement, even though her apprentice frowned his usual frown and his dark eyes revealed little, "They don't just punish humans. They punish demons as well."

"For being lazy?" Utterly baffled the assistant instructor shook her head, "Why?"

"Not for being lazy," The unfamiliar baritone spoke to her again. She had no choice but to turn and meet Kenshin's gaze, which was steady and unafraid. Out of all of them the short demon seemed most at ease, as if he knew exactly what his place was among these strangers. "But for breaking contracts or upsetting the balance, that is."

"Demons can't break promises, Missy. That's why we call them contracts." Sano explained because Kenshin had only made her look more confused than before, "It's what enables humans to make deals with us because we can't go back on our words."

"But you trick us," She had to argue, frowning as she did so, "My father always warned me against making deals with demons. It's not safe."

"Just because you humans don't know how to listen properly doesn't make it our problem." Yahiko interrupted and grinned wide enough to show his small fangs. She wacked him at the back of his head just to feel normal again because she didn't like her apprentice revealing the darker part of him.

It made her acutely aware of being the only human in the room.

"Tricking humans by leaving things unsaid is one thing, that it is." The _namahage_ stated, putting their conversation back on track. His voice sounded as if he was simply sitting with them in the room, not shielded by the mirror that had caught him, and it was another sign of the magic interlaced with the wood of the mirror. "However if demons break their contracts and fail to fulfil a promise then there must be consequences."

At the word _consequences_ his eyes bled into the golden colour she had first glimpsed in that mirror. Startled, Kaoru shifted to put more distance between them even though she was already sitting at the other end of the table. Noticing her reaction Kenshin blinked, once, twice, and then the gold was gone to be replaced by the more gentle violet colour. Part of her appreciated the effort he made into making her feel at ease but for most of her it was already too late.

The red head was on the verge of thoroughly freaking her out.

"So when a demon breaks their word…" She said, purposefully letting the men fill in the blanks while she gathered her wits.

"Demons like Kenshin come and deliver punishment. More often than not, it means that they come to kill." Her childhood friend answered calmly, "Which brings us back to your birthday present."

"Some birthday present." She grumbled, reaching to refill her tea and determinately ignoring the other's amusement at her grumpy comment. Her grouchy attitude was one of the last defences she still had. There was a gaping black hole of uncertainty ahead of her and something told her that it would only get worse from here. Sano sighed but decided to let her comment slide. Instead he looked pensively at Kenshin before turning to meet her gaze.

"Remember how I used to hang out with the Sekiho Army?" He asked her and she nodded. Sanosuke had been a constant factor in her life growing up but just as constant had been his absence from it. The rooster had often gone to find trouble and for several years in a row he found it at the Sekiho Army. There had been a captain there and, young as Sano had been then, he had impressed the _basan_ to the point of blind dedication. While he was there the army was tricked, having been promised glory and sweet victory and instead met betrayal. The army ended up being used as a scapegoat, the head of the army that Sano had so admired had been beheaded and Sanosuke had returned to her with defeat in his eyes.

She didn't like to imagine what would've happened if she hadn't been there. Sano usually dealt drastically with his emotions and she was sure he would've become some kind of vagabond if she hadn't been there to offer a home to return to.

"Well whenever demons and humans get together like that, it usually gets the attention of a _namahage._ They protect the contract that is made between them and will punish either party if they think a deal is broken. It was thought…" Sano's voice became hoarse then and he had to clear it before he could continue, "That I had broken my word."

Kaoru blinked and uncertainly she looked over at the man in the mirror. The _namahage_ wasn't watching her this time but instead his steady gaze was fixed on the _Basan_. There was a sense of knowing in his expression and just a hint of camaraderie. And with the feeling that there was a stone sinking to her stomach, Kaoru realized that Sano and Kenshin were friends. Which meant that whatever the rooster would tell her next, it would only confirm that which Kenshin's look just told her.

There was no way out of this. No simple matter of tossing that wooden mirror away and pretend it never existed.

"Kenshin came to kill me." Sanosuke stated flatly and turned his dark eyes to study the red head in the mirror. Some form of recollection crossed both their expressions before, rather at the same time; they allowed themselves a tiny smirk. "He made a different call. As we were fighting he came to know me and realized that it was the humans who had gone back on their word. He didn't just let me off the hook, though. He helped me get revenge for the Sekiho Army and found the bastard who gave the order to betray us."

"But this was years ago." Kaoru couldn't help but interrupt him, frowning at her old friend. Something inside her felt queasy because of how easily Sano spoke of killing humans. She knew that their values were different and she had always known that Sanosuke had killed before. Over the years she had made some kind of peace with it, had simply been forced to if she still wanted to continue their friendship.

She just didn't like hearing about it.

"It's important you understand why I felt indebted to Kenshin." Sano impatiently ran a hand through his hair as he said so, "Because a demon debt ain't exactly easily repaid, you know?"

"Nor is a human's." She interrupted crossly, feeling she needed to make a point. Her statement had drawn Kenshin's eyes back to her but Sano merely offered her a dry look.

"Humans generally don't tie magic to everything they do, half the time without meaning to."

Point made he cleared his throat and reached over to slide his forgotten tea back to where he was sitting.

"Half a year ago I was passin' through this village and ended up wandering over their market. There was this weird sneaky lil' guy who was selling a bunch of freaky stuff. I decided to take a look and found Kenshin in that mirror." He hummed before his grin turned lopsidedly and as roguish as she was used to seeing when Sano remembered a particular feisty brawl, "I persuaded him to give it to me."

"Which is nice and all." Kaoru frowned at Sanosuke, anger painting her eyes a darker shade than before and her arms moving to cross tightly across her chest, "But still doesn't explain why-"

"I'm getting there." Sano grouched at her and made an impatient noise from the back of his throat before he decided to continue.

"So I opened the mirror and there was Kenshin, right? But the demon that locked him in it-"

"He was put in there by another demon?" Kaoru couldn't help but interrupt again, looking to Kenshin on instinct as if she was half expecting him to disagree. The _namahage_ just looked at her with that same steady gaze she was now quickly beginning to associate with him, the quiet confidence within it making her nervous yet again. Quickly she looked away and back to the rooster only to meet his irritated scowl.

"Will you just let me tell my story, woman?! You can ask questions later. Geez…" He sighed after he said it and looked annoyed enough to make Yahiko snicker. Her bratty apprentice was always so ready to draw amusement at her expense…

Sanosuke paused, pointedly waiting for her to speak again, but when Kaoru only huffed and crossed her arms he deemed it safe to continue. Distractedly he turned his cup in his fingers as he did so and she knew that the _basan_ was eager to pull out a bottle of sake to replace the tea in front of him.

"Anyway, as I was saying, the demon that locked him in it made it impossible for other demons to get him out. I guess the bastard knew that there would be plenty willing to try." Disgustedly he snorted and, more out of habit than anything else, raised his cup to his lips. While he took his time to drink, much to her impatience, she could tell that Kenshin was studying her again. What was it with the damn red head that made him so interested in her, anyway?

"Turns out he needed a human to fulfil the requirements of the spell and end it. Pretty damn specific, not to mention downright nasty of that bastard."

"Doesn't seem that nasty to me," It was Yahiko, this time, who interrupted Sanosuke's story. His eyebrows knotted together in confusion and in an attempt to hide it he hunched his shoulders and crossed his arms in a way that Kaoru had seen over a hundred times by now. "So you need a human to break the spell. Big deal."

"Humans usually can't see most demons and spirits, Yahiko." Kaoru answered, unable to keep herself from it when it was her student who asked a question. "There are only a few demons that all people can see. Most demons need to be intent on being seen or be particularly powerful for humans to see them. It's why most of our legends about you guys are so far off."

"You can see us just fine though." Yahiko grumbled, embarrassed to have something about demons pointed out by his obviously more ignorant teacher. He must have already taken some liking to either Sano or Kenshin because the tips of his ears were becoming red in embarrassment. Kaoru hoped it sprouted from the slumbering admiration towards Sano that she had seen before. Sano, at least, she knew. Who knew what kind of influence Kenshin would have on the boy?

"Missy here is different though." The _basan_ shrugged, before leaning heavily on his elbow put upon her dinner table and supporting his chin on that hand. He studied her as easily as only a lifelong friend could. "She's always been able to see all kinds of demons and spirits and things."

"Wish I didn't." Kaoru couldn't help but note, wrinkling her nose, "Some are just downright nasty looking."

Three not-very-impressed stares from three _demons_ around her quickly made her rethink her words.

"Spirits! Spirits I mean! _Spirits _can be nasty!"

"Whatever the case..." Sanosuke continued after what undoubtedly been an _awkward_ pause, "It didn't take us long to figure out that a human was needed to break the spell. And since most humans can't see Kenshin, that made them pretty much useless. Luckily I happened to know a human who could see demons at hand."

"Yeah, thanks for that." Kaoru frowned again, quick and eager to draw the upper hand, "You two all but gave me a heart attack with your little stunt. Not to mention that you're going to have to share the guest room because my home isn't _that_ big."

"I'm afraid that we still require your assistance, Kaoru-dono."

Kaoru wasn't sure what startled her more: the fact that Kenshin finally spoke up again or the respectful way he addressed her. It was enough for her to forget about her apprehension concerning demons she did not know so that for the first time that night she met his gaze somewhat fearlessly. She was rewarded by a smile that seemed friendly, if not downright _harmless_ and the thought crossed her mind that she had never seen a creature that looked less like a demon than Kenshin did. But she had seen a glimpse of that confident smirk, those golden eyes, and she made sure to remind herself of them before she made the mistake of lowering her defences.

"You see, by carving your name in the mirror you only agreed to commit yourself to a deal, that you did." He continued, eyes closing as his innocent smile widened and apparently completely clueless about the way she had paled, "Now we must determine the terms of the deal before Kaoru-dono can safely break the mirror, that is."

"I did _what_?" She gasped, feeling the world underneath her feet shift for the second time that night. Not for the first time she had to grit her teeth in order to reel in her temper, fighting the urge to strangle her childhood friend on the spot. "Sano…_what did you make me do?_"

With her tone and murderous glare making sure that the rooster had no way to avoid her question, Sano was forced to hold up his hands in a placating gesture.

"I needed to make sure you didn't accidentally throw the mirror with the trash or something. So I just made the decision to make the first step for you, that's all." He tried, soothingly, but all it did was put her more on edge.

"What does that mean, I _committed myself to the deal_?" Kaoru all but growled at him, her temper only more stimulated by the worried frown that was now hovering over her apprentice's face. Yahiko apparently had some idea of what that meant, but considering his uncertain look towards the man in the mirror, he wasn't quite sure either. Either way, they were upsetting the boy she was responsible for. Another thing for the assistant instructor to worry about and she had to curl her hands into tight fists to try and keep a hold of her temper. She had been behaving very well, she rather thought extraordinary well considering the circumstances, but her nerves were nearing their breaking points.

"It means," Kenshin calmly spoke when all Sano could do was sheepishly laugh and stutter in the face of her wrath, "that we must determine what kind of deal we'll make, that is. Because by writing your name in the mirror you have agreed to begin this process and now there is no going back. You will ask for something and in return I will take something from you. When you know what it is that you want, you will break the mirror and sacrifice some blood for the deal to begin taking effect. Until you do, I cannot leave your side, that I cannot."

"What do you mean _take something from me_, like _what exactly_?" Kaoru's voice was rising and she knew it, but she had carved her name in a piece of haunted wood and the panic she had been burying under her temper and humour was rising to the back of her throat like one of her particularly badly cooked dinners. Names held magic, even she knew that, and when Kenshin said that there was no going back she felt the truth of that statement settle like a stone in her stomach. "And you want me to _sacrifice blood_ for it? Are you…a-are you insane?!"

Frightened she finally stumbled to her feet with enough force to upset the pillow that she had been sitting on and sent it flying. She was aware that the three men were watching her uneasily, rather like men tended to do in the face of an emotional woman, but there was nothing she could do to stop herself.

To her horror she realized she was beginning to feel dizzy, as if ready to faint.

"Now Kaoru…it really isn't all that bad," Sano tried to sound soothing, carefully so and eying her like a ticking time bomb, "Kenshin isn't like those demon you hear about taking spleens of humans…"

"_He can take my spleen?!"_

"Well…well…don't worry about that too much, that you should not." Kenshin tried to intervene and though she couldn't see his hands she was sure he was holding them defensively up just like Sano was, "It's an acquired taste, that it is. But this one has not taken on the habit of eating humans, that he has not."

"What do you mean _acquired taste?!_" Kaoru all but cried in her frustration but before the men could answer she held up her hands in a silent demand for them to be quiet. Closing her eyes, she took a shaking hand to pinch the bridge of her nose as she forced herself to take a deep breath.

"Now..." Her voice trembled and so she cleared her throat before trying again, "Now, I am going to go and make some more tea. And when I get back either Kenshin will be gone or you guys are going to start making sense and until that happens I am _not_ breaking _anything._"

Her eyes opened, two slits of dark blue that bordered on black in the midst of her emotion as she all but hissed through gritted teeth, "_Understood?"_

* * *

When Kaoru came back it was with a fresh pot of tea and some resemblance of dignity. She felt calmer now she had taken some time alone in the kitchen, without strange demons sending her long assessing stares. There was still that feeling of having a stone in her stomach, that inability to escape the situation her _dear_ childhood friend had put her in but those fifteen minutes alone in the kitchen had helped. At least she was getting answers now, and the one sure way to manage to make some kind of peace with the situation was to have it clearly explained to her. Right then she decided to take it slow, make sure she understood every detail before she would continue to panic.

When dealing with demons, after all, the probability of panicking increased dramatically.

"Okay, so we're going to take this one step at the time." She bossily told the men when she returned to the living room with a now full teapot in her hands. Calmly and without shaking hands she filled the cups with tea again, giving her something to do and something to look at as she continued, "So you guys can properly explain to me what the heck you have gotten me into."

She took a moment to send the rooster another glare before fetching the pillow she had sent flying and settling upon it. Kaoru then calmly smoothed over the wrinkles in her _yukata_ before fixing her stare upon Sano. Looking at the _Namahage_ made her nervous and her childhood friend was perfectly capable of giving her the answers as well.

"When I carved my name into the wood of that mirror, I made the promise to make a deal with Kenshin?" She asked, waiting until Sano had nodded before continuing, "And what else did that do, exactly?"

"It made me able to move between mirrors, that it did." Kenshin answered her, and with some discomfort Kaoru found she was forced to look at him again, "Before Kaoru-dono carved her name I was confined to this mirror alone, that I was."

"But why?" She couldn't help but ask, yet again confused. The more she heard about spells, the more complicated they seemed to be.

"So that this one can stay near Kaoru-dono, that is." When she visibly paled again, Kenshin offered her a sheepish smile that wasn't nearly as reassuring as he seemed to mean it to be, "The deal must be able to be made at any time, that it is. So the spell binds this one to the mirror closest to Kaoru-dono until it is made."

It seemed that's what Kenshin meant when he said that he was unable to leave her side. Just wonderful.

"So…" Kaoru said, struggling not to think too hard about the complications having a demon in her mirror at all times would bring. "So…you wait for me to tell you what I want? And then what?"

"Then Kaoru-dono must break the mirror, that she does." Kenshin continued and as he spoke his voice lowered and turned into a more warm and soothing sound because of it. Kaoru realized it wasn't just for her sake. Her agitation had an effect on her apprentice, influencing his mood. The _tanuki_'s tail was puffed up, his ears were flat against his skull and the boy's body language gave him a look of being lost. She gave him a sense of stability along with a home and right now both seemed to be threatened by another demon neither one of them knew.

Their only consolation was the fact that he was a friend of Sanosuke. Not, she mentally added, that that said anything considering the man's fondness for hanging around the gambling districts and making friends even there.

"Breaking the mirror will free me, that it will." Kenshin continued in that same deep voice, "So that I will be able to hold my end of the deal and give Kaoru-dono what she requested."

Kaoru swallowed thickly, her throat suddenly dry. Part of her didn't want to know but there was no choice, she had to ask.

"And after that?"

Violet bled into gold, and the soothing quality in Kenshin's low voice was replaced by a hint of danger.

"I will take something from you."

Kaoru shuddered and had to look way from those golden eyes staring so steadily at her. Yahiko was frowning at Kenshin and for a moment it seemed that a blanket of tension slowly lowered onto all of them. Then Sano laughed, far too loud and far too merrily.

"Now Missy, no need to look so worried!" The rooster grinned at her and she knew by his boisterous manner that if she had sat beside him, he would've ruffled her hair in that way he knew annoyed her. "Kenshin could decide on a lock of hair or something. It doesn't have to be anything drastic and he's a good guy, really. I'm sure he won't hurt you or anything, he's not like that."

"Geez Ugly," The _tanuki_ sneered, obviously relieved by Sano's words to the point where he deemed it appropriate to insult her again, "You're so easily scared!"

Hope blossomed in her chest at the actions of the two demons, just a tiny spark of it, and on instinct Kaoru turned to look at the demon in the mirror to confirm what the _basan_ had said. But the red head had lowered his face until his bangs hid his eyes and that spark of hope spluttered and then died at the sight of it. Dread once again made a stone in her belly as she sighed heavily and reached out for her teacup. She felt cold all of the sudden and she drew some comfort out of wrapping her hands around the warm porcelain.

"Idiots." She sighed, remembering some of the things her father taught her. He had never had her gift but his mother had and he had read the books her grandmother left him. What he had read had left some kind of fear within him and he always made sure she understood how tricky demons really were. Something she understood all the more clearly now that the _namahage_ was unable to promise her that he would take something harmless.

"It's in the nature of demons to take what they want. Even you guys are like that, no matter how much you joke about it or apologise for it later." Even as she said it, Kaoru knew the truth of her words. Her eyes sought out the man in the mirror but the demon would not look at her and his bangs still hid most of his expression. "Kenshin can no more promise that he'll take something harmless than you guys can promise not to snore in your sleep."

The assistant instructor had clearly shut her friends up with her morose little statement and Kaoru knew that Sano was finally looking uncomfortable, more aware of what he had done. The rooster hadn't really thought about the consequences of his actions and the _tanuki_ was still too young to really understand the nature of demons. Kaoru couldn't help but feel it was ironic that out of all men in the room, Kenshin was probably the one who understood her reluctance best.

Unleashing demons was simply never a good idea.

"And there is nothing I would be able to do to stop him from taking it. Kenshin could probably take my firstborn child and I wouldn't be able to stop him." Kaoru sighed, making sure they understood her point even though just thinking about it made her sick. In fact, this entire night had made her feel sick to her stomach and unbelievably tired so that she found herself yet again wishing for the comfort of her bedroom. But now, she wouldn't even be able to hide from the truth there because the red head would be there as well: hiding in one of her mirrors.

"This one apologises." Kenshin spoke, finally lifting his head enough to reveal that his eyes had not yet shifted back into that gentler violet colour. But his brow was furrowed in regret and when his steady stare drifted back to the assistant instructor it did not feel quite as menacing as before. "But I do not know what I would take, that I don't. This one tries very hard to have no desires but one cannot stop being a demon. Once the mirror breaks and this one is free, one will eventually take something from Kaoru-dono. With or without her consent."

In the silence that followed the demon's words, Kaoru drank what was left of her tea and tried to regain some sense of calm dignity. With a sigh she then looked up and met Kenshin's gaze and knew that he realized what she was going to say before she said it.

"I'm sorry Kenshin. But until you know what it is you'll take from me, I cannot break that mirror." It was ridiculous, she thought hotly, that she felt guilty as she said it. Any human being with a sense of self-preservation would have done the same. And yet she had to wring her hands to release some of the anxiety she felt and found she could not look her childhood friend in the eye. Not Sanosuke who, for the first time in both their lives, she refused to help when he asked her to.

"This one understands, that I do." Kenshin merely answered her and there was no spite in his gaze.

Kaoru couldn't hold that gaze however and so she averted her eyes and nodded before standing with as much dignity as she could. Only when she stood did she dare to look at the men in her living room again but immediately wished she hadn't. Yahiko was frowning deeply, obviously still going over what was said that night but there was disappointment in his eyes. She had always simply been Kaoru to him, neither human nor demon but _Kaoru_, and for her to act like _such a human_ was upsetting to the _tanuki_. Sanosuke was scowling at his teacup, his hands clenched into fists and she knew that before the night was out the _basan_ would probably find a bottle of sake and drink every last drop. Kenshin, meanwhile, was a man resigned to his fate: his gaze set in front of him but seeing nothing, merely waiting.

"I'm going to bed now." She offered, and cleared her throat when she heard the tremor in her voice. "I will see you guys in the morning. Good night."

When she turned to return to her bedroom she did not wait for them to return the sentiment and she purposefully left the mirror on the table as a reminder of what had happened. She did not realize that Kenshin had some leniency before needing to appear in the mirror in her room. And with her mind occupied with the things she had heard that night, she did not hear Sanosuke's voice when he turned to look at Kenshin who was still in that small mirror.

"But what about Shishio?"

"We will deal with that later, that we will." Kenshin merely answered and disappeared.

* * *

Kaoru found him in her mother's mirror. Though she had expected it she still jumped a little before a flash of temper made her put her hands on her hips.

"I don't care how close you'll have to be. I'm _not_ going to bed with the knowledge that you can see me sleeping." She told him before all but stomping over to the mirror.

"Oro?" Kenshin uttered as she advanced upon him but she ignored him as she reached for the edges of the mirror. With a grunt of effort she turned it so that it faced the paper wall and then stomped over to her pile of clothing to fetch one of her kimonos. She threw her kimono over the glass for good measure and then dusted off her hands with satisfaction.

"There." She said, and there was a pause before Kenshin spoke.

"Goodnight Kaoru-dono." For the first time his voice sounded muffled, as if the fabric of her kimono was covering his face and not just the mirror.

"Goodnight Kenshin." She said and slipped into her _futon_ and determinately pulled her blankets up.

She barely slept that night.


	3. The Hibagon

**Author's note: Thank you all very much for taking the time to review. It really does give me motivation to keep on writing even when struggling with the more difficult parts.**

**Chapter three: The Hibagon.**

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"_Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it." ~ Ernest Holmes._

_._

When Kaoru woke the next morning she took a moment to progress what had happened. In a single day her childhood friend had returned home, brought trouble with him in the shape of a mirror and turned her life upside down. She knew, with deep rooted certainty, that there was more trouble in her future than she could phantom. Making deals with demons were seldom foolproof enough for one to fully know what they were getting into.

No wonder then that she took a few minutes to bask in the familiar before getting up and facing the world. The same bedroom she had since she was sixteen, her soft sheets, the paper walls decorated with cherry blossoms and birds and the same ceiling she had looked at every morning throughout those years. But even in the privacy of her own bedroom: things were different.

"Kenshin?" She tried, somehow still having the faint hope that last night had been nothing but a bad dream.

"Good morning, Kaoru-dono." Came his voice from her mother's mirror, still sounding rather muffled because of the _kimono_ thrown over it, "This one hopes that you slept well, that he does."

Considering that she spend half the night wondering whether she had properly shielded that mirror and prevented him from looking out of it Kaoru chose not to comment. Instead she sat up, stretched, and then sent another suspicious look towards that mirror. It was definitely hard to get used to, being raised as properly as she was, to have a strange man in her bedroom, let alone a demon. She knew her father would roll over in his grave if only he knew her current predicament. She was enough of a rebel as it was, just offering a spare room to Sanosuke (a very much adult male). Really, she was lucky that most of her neighbours couldn't even see the overgrown chicken. They already had their opinions about the fact that she took in Yahiko. She had to thank Kami for the walls around her home, giving her some rest from those noisy eyes.

"I'm going to have to change." She said briskly, or at least tried to, but she had the uncomfortable suspicion that her embarrassment was easily heard in her voice. It must have been obvious to Kenshin either way, because his voice lowered to that deep timbre that he had used for Yahiko's sake the night before.

"This one will stay right here behind the _kimono_, that I will. Kaoru-dono does not need to be afraid."

Though she wasn't so much _afraid_ as she was _deeply embarrassed_ the woman nevertheless forced herself to move. As much as she just wanted to hide beneath her sheets and pretend Kenshin wasn't there at all, she needed to start her day and face the reality with it. She dressed as fast as one could expect a woman to dress considering the many layers of her colourful _kimono_ and she did so with a fierce blush and many suspicious glances at the mirror he occupied. She waited until even her hair was up in its usual ponytail, adorned with one of her favourite ribbons, before yanking the _kimono_ off the mirror.

Kenshin was kneeling in front of it as properly as any Japanese man would, his hands resting on his knees and his violet eyes blinking as if adjusting to a sudden change of light. He offered her a smile that she didn't quite dare to return, not yet, and so she turned and slid open her paper door.

"Kaoru-dono," He stopped her just as she was exiting the room, forcing her to turn and face him again. The friendly smile was still in place, crinkling his eyes shut and it would have served to make him look completely harmless if it wasn't for that scar. In the light of day, it seemed impossible that she had missed the cross that was carved deeply into his left cheek the night before.

"This one would feel better if Kaoru-dono would pocket the mirror once she gets to the living room, that he would." He softly stated, in a way that would have been a request if there hadn't still been that air of danger about him. For a moment Kaoru paused, confused because she thought he meant her mother's mirror, before realizing he meant that round mirror she left on the table last night: Sano's present.

"I thought you lingered near in whatever mirror was closest?" She asked, frowning.

"Yes, but this one is worried Kaoru-dono might end up in a place without mirrors, that he does. It would be best if Kaoru-dono kept the mirror on her person at all times, that it is." Kenshin easily responded, still smiling but Kaoru sensed that he wasn't leaving her a choice that he wasn't _asking_. Perhaps it was that quiet confidence of the seemingly unshakable red-head but she had a feeling that there weren't many people capable of saying no to this _namahage. _

"Wouldn't you be stuck in a small space, though?"

"This one can move to other mirrors near Kaoru-dono as long as the round mirror is kept shut."

"Alright then," She hesitantly agreed, "But I got to make breakfast first."

She could have sworn she saw his eyes light up in utter delight.

"Perhaps this one can help?"

* * *

"Now you should keep an eye on the candle mark, that you should." Kenshin instructed her clearly from his place upon the counter. The fact that she could only see his face and that the round mirror was so tiny did not hinder the clarity of his instructions at all, "Because the rice will need to be taken off the fire soon. And the fish needs to be turned, that it does."

Obediently Kaoru did as Kenshin told her to and not for the first time she was caught by the absurdity of her situation. As a woman, both Yahiko as Sanosuke always left to cooking to her but her mother died before she could be properly educated in the art of cooking. That, along with a natural lack of talent, always left her with slightly burnt food and a complaining apprentice who nevertheless never lifted a finger to help. Kenshin, however, seemed to know what he was doing when instructing her and she couldn't help but marvel at the idea of a man that delighted in cooking.

It had only been awkward for the first two minutes, during which she fumbled and blushed and tried not to show her incompetence too much to this dangerous demon she did not know. After those minutes however she quickly learned to blindly follow his instructions the moment her vegetable soup began to smell like…well…vegetables.

"You have to think of so many things at the same time!" Kaoru complained, forgetting that she was talking to a demon even as she wiped sweat from her forehead, "It's way too much to keep track of for one person."

"This one is sure Kaoru-dono will get the hang of it, that he is." Kenshin kindly told her before his smile became more sheepishly as he noted, "The fish are burning."

She cried out in horror and quickly turned the fish as he instructed before. Just as she was clumsily repositioning the fish with her chopsticks did the sound of a sliding paper door make her look up. She met the dark eyes of Sanosuke who looked at her as directly as he always did. Something about the _basan_ always made him look as if he was just waiting for the world to make a comment about him. He always looked just a little rebellious, just a little wild, and it was exactly that what had drawn her to him as a child.

Right now, however, the rooster was mostly just looking a little worse for wear.

"You stink." Kaoru noted, wrinkling her nose as the smell of sake and smoke reached her nose.

"Yeah, rough night..." Sanosuke noted, and grinned in a lopsided, almost vulnerable way. There was hope in his eyes and she could practically hear what he was thinking.

_We're okay, right?_

For a moment, Kaoru paused and considered him. She liked to think that she knew the man long enough to trust what she thought she saw in there. He was feeling guilty, probably beat himself up all night, and now there was a hint there that said that he worried for her. Worried about what was going to happen.

Hindsight could be a pain.

"Well hurry up and take a bath." Kaoru answered briskly, frowning at the fish as she poked rather unnecessarily at them, "Breakfast's almost ready."

"Yes, yes.." Sanosuke sighed, as if she was a nagging mother but she caught his lopsided grin becoming a smile from the corner of her eye. Her childhood friend slipped out of the room as easily as he slipped in it and the moment he was gone Kaoru couldn't help but release a sigh. Honestly, that stupid rooster was going to give her grey hairs and didn't even have the decency to apologise for it.

"You forgave him, that you did." Kenshin's voice cut through her thoughts. She looked up to find him looking at her in that quiet way again but found that it didn't bother her as much as the night before. It was hard to find a demon quite as intimidating if you now knew that he liked to _cook_. And not even human skulls either.

"Sanosuke is stupid and selfish and a freeloader." She impatiently snapped, taking the rice off the fire as Kenshin had instructed before. She frowned as she did so but it was more thoughtful than angry. "But I've known him since we were kids. And I know he never meant to hurt me. I guess he just figured you'd ask for a lock of hair or something and that'd be that."

Though Kaoru was fully convinced of what she had just told the red-head, she could not help but wonder what it was about the _namahage _ that inspired the _basan _to help so willingly. She knew Sanosuke, she knew that he had a nose for trouble but most of the time said trouble involved fights not locked demons. Occupied as he was with wanting to see the world, the rooster rarely paused long enough to notice others in more than a superficial way. And even if he did, that didn't immediately mean that he would lend them his fists. In the end, Sanosuke operated by a strange moral compass that didn't always point north. As well as he meant, most of the time, it nevertheless couldn't be denied that Sanosuke's main concern was Sanosuke. It was rare for her to see him stick out his neck for anyone other than her and whenever he did, it was usually for people that looked far more helpless than Kenshin. Right now she could do nothing but make a mental note about it now, however.

"Kaoru-dono," Kenshin's sheepish voice interrupted her thoughts, "You're burning the fish again, that you are."

"Ack!"

In her rush to save what was left of a decent breakfast, she never noticed the way Kenshin's pensive gaze lingered on her face, studying her expression and noticing every detail. Looking, if one didn't know better, as if he had never seen something like it before.

* * *

"Hey ugly, this is almost edible." Yahiko cheekily commented around a mouth full of rice, his eyes glinting with their usual mischief as they tended to do whenever he got away with calling her names. Using it together with a disguised compliment usually got him off the hook and today was no exception.

"Big words for a guy on his second bowl. And don't talk with your mouth full." Kaoru thus merely sniffed, sticking up her nose and crossing her arms all while there was a smile threatening to take over her expression. "Now hurry up and finish it. I need you to complete a thousand swings before I'm done with the laundry."

With that said, she stood and only remembered to grab the mirror with Kenshin in it at the last moment. It would have to become a habit but she was still uncomfortable with the knowledge that neither of them had much of a choice about their proximity.

Just as she was about to slide the paper door open it was done for her by a still slightly damp Sanosuke. There was a towel around his neck, the end of which he was still rubbing in his hair, and his dark eyes automatically found hers again. If there was any trace of awkwardness between them, Kaoru didn't let it linger for longer than a second.

"We left some for you but you have to hurry up if you still want to eat it. Yahiko's appetite rivals yours these days." She simply told the rooster and playfully smacked his stomach as she passed him by.

She didn't pull out the mirror until she was outside, with a basket full of laundry on one hand and a soap filled tub on the other and an empty basket awaiting the clean wet clothes that would be hung out all at once later. Kaoru enjoyed doing the laundry out in the open space of her garden because the laundry often seemed to explode all around her and take up space she had not estimated it would take. It was more convenient anyway, because she wouldn't need to drag a basket full of wet heavy clothes very far to hang them out. And on days like this, with the sun shining but not burning and a soft breeze toying with her hair, the chore could almost be enjoyable.

Carefully she set the mirror down so that Kenshin could look at what she was doing while at the same time making sure there was a respectable distance between them. She tried not to think of how weird the world must look to him when she opened the mirror and she saw his face the moment she did so.

"You don't happen to have any tips concerning the laundry as well, do you, Kenshin?" Kaoru couldn't help but ask because already she felt her courage slipping when looking at the pile of clothing that awaited her. Yahiko seemed incapable of keeping himself clean and her own kimonos had the habit of becoming terribly heavy when wet.

"This one apologises, Kaoru-dono. If there are any secrets to making it easier to do, then this one has not found it yet, that he has not."

Well, she had already been extraordinarily lucky to have someone help out with her cooking in the first place so it was probably best not to hope for a miracle. With a sigh the assistant instructor tightened the ropes that held her long sleeves back before reaching for the first fabric and pressing it deep in the soapy water. Carefully she placed her washboard in the water and waited until she was dragging the fabric over it before looking back at Kenshin. As always, the demon was looking steadily back at her. Perhaps she was not the only one feeling vulnerable. The _namahage_ could take something from her after the deal was made but only after she asked for her end of the bargain. Were there things humans could ask that demons dreaded to give?

"So…" She started, and let herself look away from those unnerving violet eyes. Instead she focussed on her grip on the wet slippery fabric as she pulled it again and again over the washboard. "I think it's about time you told me who put you in that mirror, don't you think?"

"Ah…" Kenshin sighed, "It's kind of a long story, that it is."

"Kenshin," Kaoru forced herself to look at the demon again, "I'm not making a deal with you until I feel comfortable and feel that I know who you are. You're not helping either of us by being mysterious."

"This one did not mean to be purposefully vague, that he did not." Kenshin gently argued and when she briefly glanced at him she found that, for once, he wasn't looking at her face. Instead he was following the rhythm of her soapy hands pushing and pulling the fabric over the washboard. "I am just unsure as to where to start, that I am."

"Well you can start…" Kaoru huffed, and her voice became strained when she had to lift the heavy water logged fabric from the water to get to a stain on the other side, "…with telling me who locked you up in that mirror."

"Shishio locked me in this mirror, so he did."

"Shishio…" The name didn't even ring a single bell, "And who is Shishio?"

"A _jikininki_, so he is. And one I was chasing, at that." Kenshin stated and having picked up her lack of knowledge the night before, he explained without needing to be asked to. "_Jikininki's_ are vengeful spirit spirits of greedy, selfish people who are cursed after death to seek out and eat human corpses, so they are."

"Oh, gross." Kaoru couldn't help but reply and found she meant it from the bottom of her heart. She could just picture a faceless figure roaming the cemetery, looking for a fresh snack. That is, a fresh snack in the form of a bloated, rotting, worm-infested corpse.

"They are mostly harmless, so they are." Kenshin continued and there was a smile in his voice as if amused by the look of horror on her face. Perhaps it wasn't hard for him to picture the thoughts running through her mind.

"But not Shishio?" Kaoru asked, both to get the conversation back on track and to banish the mental images that were running through her mind. She could have spent the rest of her life without thinking of corpses being eaten and quite happily at that. Let alone carry the knowledge that creatures like that were actually out there, in real life and not just living in legends.

"Shishio decided that dead flesh was no longer good enough for him, so he did. He violated the terms of the curse put upon him and had to be punished accordingly."

Kaoru didn't need to look at Kenshin to know that his eyes had bled back into that fierce golden colour. So she kept her eyes on her work as she asked her next question.

"So you went to find him?"

"This one takes his duties as _namahage_ seriously, so he does." Kenshin agreed and his eyes hadn't returned to that gentle almost purple colour just yet. He was looking at her hands with burning golden eyes that did not really see them, his mind occupied with their conversation and the memories that returned because of it. "But when this one found Shishio, he was not as weak as a _jikininki _are supposed to be. Eating humans while they were still alive gave him unexpected strength, so it did. The battle was long and it drained us both so when Shishio found an opportunity to escape: he took it."

Kenshin paused and when Kaoru looked back to him she found that there was a genuine deep loathing in his expression that twisted it until his scar seemed all the more clear. For the first time since waking that morning, the assistant instructor felt the chill of fear travel over her spine again. For such a quiet man, the red-head had a way of claiming space until even the wide space of her garden seemed too small for the both of them.

"I chased him, so I did." Kenshin continued in a low voice and Kaoru looked up to see him hiding his eyes beneath his bangs. "But the battle had been long and this one wasn't able to chase him very far. This one was forced to rest, so I was."

Belatedly Kaoru realized that the cloth she had been scrubbing was as clean as it was going to get and she had been too caught up in Kenshin's story to notice. She took her time transferring it to the empty bucket where it would await its turn to be hung and left to dry and tried to picture what a fight between a spirit and demon would look like. By the time she had reached over and dunked Yahiko's male kimono deep into the soapy water she still wasn't sure what mental image to settle on. Was it a fight that involved magic? Or did Kenshin possess claws he had not revealed to her yet? The more she learned the more questions just seemed to arise and the sword instructor was uncomfortably reminded of the books her father had left her. Books that held answers to all of her questions, yes, but perhaps not the answers she hoped to get. And more importantly, would the information she would find make her think differently about her friends? Just what kind of definition would a _tanuki_ or _basan_ have?

"Does it take long for you to heal?" Kaoru asked mostly to distract herself but also out of genuine curiosity towards this demon.

"This one has magic to stimulate the healing progress, so I have. It took me about three days to heal from Shishio's injuries."

"And then you found him?"

"No." Kenshin gently said and closed his eyes as he smiled at her. A smile she wasn't sure was true. "He found me, so he did."

Kaoru was just pulling the fabric over the washboard again when she felt Kenshin's eyes on her. They were golden but not threatening. If anything he seemed to be patient, waiting for something, and belatedly she realized he wanted to be sure that she was paying attention, that she was listening. The moment she looked up he seemed to be satisfied because his face moved as if he shifted into a more comfortable position and he opened his mouth to continue his story.

"As a spirit, Shishio has forfeited whatever hold on magic he might have had during his life. But he knew a woman who could weave spells for him and he could get his hands on some written spells, so he could. It was her that locked me in this mirror but it was Shishio who truly pulled the strings, so he did."

"But why didn't he just kill you? Why go through this effort and risk you breaking free?"

"Because Shishio knew that he could not kill me, so he did. And most spells wouldn't be able to either."

Giving up on the laundry altogether, Kaoru let the kimono fall back into the water and turned to face Kenshin directly. He was hiding his eyes behind his bangs again but he had to know that she was looking at him, that his statement startled her.

"You're…" Her voice cracked and Kaoru was forced to clear her throat before trying again, "You're…pretty strong, aren't you?"

"Right now it's more important how strong Shishio is, so it is." Kenshin answered and when he looked up again his eyes were back to being their strange purple violet colour but deadly serious. "Because before I was locked in this mirror I found out what his plans were. That's why I urged Sano to help me break out of this mirror soon, so I did."

"Apparently Shishio's planning on taking over Japan."

It wasn't Kenshin who spoke but Sanosuke casually strolling out of her home with a fresh fishbone between his teeth. He had that glint in his eye that suggested that he was looking for trouble and his grin was as wide and wild as it usually was only in that moment just before his travels. The _basan_ was followed by her apprentice, whose curious gaze slid between her and the mirror placed at her side. Yahiko looked confused but serious, as perhaps one ought to look after just hearing that there is a spirit out to take over the country. It seemed that her laundry was a lost cause at this point.

"I'm not discussing this in my yard." Kaoru firmly decided then and there, "And if we're going to have a discussion of this size then Kenshin deserves to partake it in a mirror that's bigger than my palm."

With that decided she grabbed the mirror but carefully made sure that it remained open before moving over to where the others were standing. Imperiously she gestured for them to go inside before pausing as Sanosuke send a telling glance down to her apprentice. Immediately Yahiko visibly bristled and opened his mouth angrily but Kaoru stopped it by gently putting her hand on his head, right between his ears. Frowning she looked the _basan_ right in his eyes before shaking her head no, just once. The rooster made an impatient noise from the back of his throat but he didn't argue and instead turned to step back into her living room. Yahiko looked up at her, Kaoru could see it from the corner of her eyes, but she didn't turn to meet that stare. There was no reason for her proud, stubborn apprentice to force himself to utter a thanks when it was as much his business as it was hers. Her fate was bound to Kenshin, now, and by association so was Yahiko. He deserved to know what was going on.

"Yahiko go fetch my mother's mirror from my room. It's the only one I can think of that is big enough for Kenshin to sit with us at the table." She instead ordered and though Yahiko looked embarrassed at the thought of entering her room he went to fetch it without complaint.

"I'm making tea." She told Sano as she entered the living room, placing the mirror on the table before turning to the kitchen, "If you want something stronger you're going to have to fetch it yourself. You drank every last drop of sake I had left."

"Maybe later, Missy."

She translated 'later' to after they finished this discussion. Kaoru almost sighed when she found herself, yet again, alone in the kitchen and trying to gather her wits while she made tea. This better not become a habit, she thought rather wryly before turning her attention to more important things.

Truthfully the thought of a spirit, an evil one no less, wanting to take over the country startled her more than she cared to admit. The only way to deal with the problem, however, was to get whatever information she could and make her decision from there on. Putting the tea and teacups on a tray, she carefully lifted it and turned to make her way back to the living room.

The boys were already waiting on her, Yahiko having placed the large mirror at the head of the table just like how that smaller mirror had stood there the night before. With Kenshin's real life size showing, it was almost possible to forget there was a mirror there at all. The _tanuki_ had seated himself across of Sanosuke this time and though he tried to hide it, it was undeniable that his dark eyes kept returning to Kenshin. Kaoru wasn't sure whether it was out of distrust or intrigue but right now she didn't have the time to wonder. Carefully she set the tray down and tried to ignore the fact that having the _namahage_ appear as his real life size was disturbing her.

"So," She started imperiously and was yet again reminded of the night before, "Shishio wants to take over Japan. Why?"

"He is tired of hiding in shadow, so he is." Kenshin calmly replied and now that she saw more than his face, she noticed how he calmly folded his arms in his wide sleeves as he did so. "He means to take over Japan so that demons and spirits can roam the streets freely, so he does."

"They can't now?" Kaoru couldn't help but ask, thinking of the many people who could not even see them.

"Not without facing a _namahage_." Sanosuke snorted before tugging on his jacket in an impatient manner. All this sitting around and talking was wearing on the rooster. "Or one of those people who do exorcizes. Humans are more capable of fighting back than they seem to realize, cowering in their houses after dark."

Yet again it was obvious to Kaoru that whenever Sanosuke spoke of humans, he never really thought her as part of that group. To him and Yahiko, she was simply Kaoru and had no affinity with either kind. Still, she couldn't help but feel a little insulted when he spoke of them 'cowering'.

"It is important that Kaoru-dono makes up her mind about her end of the deal, so it is." Kenshin spoke again, and looked at her with that same steady gaze that he always used. With his hands folded in his sleeves she had no way of knowing whether he felt some kind of impatience regarding her freeing him from that mirror but the instructor thought she saw some tension around his eyes. It was impossible that this man was content trapped in the mirror as he was. "This one has to be freed as soon as possible so that I can chase down Shishio and stop him before he does too much damage, so I have."

"Who says it isn't just a story meant to coerce me into freeing you as soon as possible?" Kaoru couldn't help but huff, feeling the pressure yet again. Her question left a heavy kind of silence in the room as none of the other demons could really respond to that. In the end, it didn't surprise her that it was Kenshin who spoke up first.

"You will just have to trust this one, so you do."

"I stand by what I said. I'm not breaking _anyone_ free before I feel comfortable about it." Kaoru huffed, crossing her arms and frowning impatiently. "And I'm not convinced it has to be you, either. I'm sure there are other _namahage_ about, ready to go and stop Shishio."

"But none of them-" Sano started to argue but was stopped when Kenshin lifted his hand and shared a look with him. Kenshin waited until Kaoru met his eyes before smiling his familiar friendly smile.

"Kaoru-dono has every right to take her time deciding. This one is very thankful for the patience she has already shown, so I am." Pulling his other arm from his sleeve, he placed both hands before him as he bowed respectfully to her for the second time since she met him. "This one will happily wait until she decides."

* * *

It turned out Kenshin didn't have to wait for longer than a week.

Kaoru had dragged Yahiko with her to the market to buy tofu. Though either of them could have easily done it by themselves, Kaoru had felt the need to have some alone time with her apprentice. The boy was rattled more than he let on by the sudden appearance of not one but two strange men and he deserved a break from the unusual situation as much as she did. Although she had to admit that Yahiko was obviously beginning to like the two other demons that now lived in their house. She had caught him stealing a sip from Sano's sake more than once and sometimes she would catch him talking to Kenshin while she was busy with the laundry. She couldn't blame him for it either. Kenshin was growing on her with every morning she woke to him greeting her and he hadn't asked about her decision even once, even though he had to be impatient. Today the _namahage _ was locked inside that handheld mirror, latched closed and put away inside her sleeve, but the demon hardly seemed to mind. If anything it was Kaoru who felt a little weird effectively carrying a demon around.

"How about after we get our tofu we make a stop at the one that sells male kimono's, Yahiko? I think you're about to outgrow this one as well." Kaoru happily suggested, glad for an opportunity to feel normal again. Yahiko might have grumbled at first, wanting to be trained and ending up insisting that he could bring his _bokken_, but she could tell that their little outing was doing him good. There was a spring in his step as he avoided the other people in this crowd and his eyes kept curiously checking out the wares on display.

"It isn't my fault that the great Yahiko grows more than normal boys." Yahiko predictably boasted, grinning in a way far too smug for such an ordinary occurrence, "I guess that I'm just destined to become tall. I'll probably be even taller than Sano!"

But Kaoru had already stopped listening. Her blue eyes had locked onto something she could not believe actually seeing. Not now, when the sun had barely even begun lowering and the market wasn't about to close just yet. Dusk had barely even begun and yet there they were, four of them, staring at her…

"Yahiko," She interrupted her apprentice with the voice she usually only used when explaining a particularly difficult technique, "Look over there. Tell me what you're seeing."

Yahiko turned to look to where she was pointed and immediately his brown eyes widened. He seemed as baffled as she was and she could see the creatures reflected in his eyes. It was undeniable: he saw what she did.

"What…what are they doing here? We're not even close to the mountains!"

Kaoru turned to look back at the four towering figures. They were black and taller than any man she had ever seen before but stood motionless within a crowd that did not notice them. Their black bristly fur only stopped at their hands and feet, which were blindingly white and ended in claws that looked dangerously sharp. Their noses were short and blunt and the skin that covered their faces looked worn and leathery. That black skin wrinkled into a hideous looking snarl as they opened their maws to reveal fangs thicker than her thumb. Overall the creatures looked as if they walked straight out of a nightmare.

"Those are _hibagon_ aren't they?" Kaoru had to ask, already slowly backing away from the sight. She reached out to grab Yahiko's shoulder and pull him with her, because the boy seemed too baffled to move.

"Yeah, I think so." Yahiko breathlessly agreed, swallowing thickly even as he began moving with her, "But aren't they supposed to live up high in the mountains?"

The _hibagon_ snarled and roared with enough ferocity that Kaoru felt her heart jump to her throat and her grip tightened on Yahiko's shoulder. There were too many people around them, innocent people going about their business and who were oblivious to the ape-like men with wicked intent. Kaoru knew that they had no choice but to run, especially since she did not have her wooden sword. All they had to defend themselves was Yahiko's _bokken_ and the sword instructor had the nagging feeling that they would be the only ones having to defend themselves. The deep set eyes of the _hibagon_ had not looked away from her and her apprentice for a single moment and they seemed to ignore all the helpless would-be-victims that were within arm's reach.

"They don't look friendly." The _tanuki_ growled at her side and for the first time Kaoru found herself wishing he wasn't quite as brave. His fur was bristled, his tail was all puffed up and his ears were pressing flat against his skull as he glared at the four ape-like men looking at them. Yahiko looked ready to leap at their throat, despite being half their size.

"Run."

"What?" He looked up, startled and blinking as if pulled from a daze.

"There are too many innocent people here. Run!" Kaoru insisted, grabbing the cloth covering his shoulder to pull him with her as she turned to rush back into the crowd.

The roar of the _hibagon _ was in her ears as she and Yahiko rushed around startled looking people. It seemed impossible to her that other people could not hear the _hibagon_ but she was thankful for it, nevertheless. The last thing they needed was a panicked crowd hindering their movements. As it was, it was difficult enough with people pausing to stare at her and Yahiko and the sudden stream of people who seemed to fall over for no reason: as if pushed by invisible hands.

Yahiko pulled her fist from his kimono and she only now realized that she was still holding him so tightly. She nevertheless was relieved to find the _tanuki_ rushing along with her rather than back at the _hibagon_, darting around people with an agility she would never be able to match.

"We'll go to the river. There are less people there." Kaoru said and was relieved to find the _tanuki_ nodding his agreement. He had to be as aware as she was of the fact that only he carried a weapon and that a ten-year old boy had no business going up against them. Not that that had stopped him before.

To make matters worse, judging from the heavy breathing and loud roars at their backs, the _hibagon_ were slowly getting closer.

"Then what?" He predictably asked and nervously Kaoru looked over her shoulder. The _hibagon_ were jumping over people, the thick muscles of their legs bringing them to extraordinary lengths. They were held at bay by the obstacles for now but who knew what would happen once they made it to the quieter street that ran along the river?

"We hope we can outrun them." Kaoru could only conclude and could already feel the sweat run down her back.

"Fantastic plan." Yahiko growled, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Well if you can think of anything better, now would be the time to tell me!"

"Over here!"

In her flash of anger, mostly fuelled by the adrenaline coursing through her veins, Kaoru had almost missed their turn. Yahiko grabbed her wrist and yanked her along with him as they both stumbled over uneven stones. They made it to the street but they still desperately needed a plan. Kaoru tried to think as she pulled sweaty hair from her face, tried to think of a solution. She had no weapon, that was one of the first things she needed to take care of, but then they had to find someone who could help them. Not just anyone but someone strong enough to face the four demons currently chasing them.

Like a fire breathing chicken.

"We need to find Sano, Yahiko." Kaoru gasped, "It's our only chance!"

"He picked a hell of a day to go gambling." The _tanuki_ growled and let out a curse as he stumbled and only caught himself at the last moment. On they ran, ignoring burning muscles and the wild panic that raced through their veins. They were chased, chased as prey by a predator and there was no immediate way to escape. On their right there was the river and on their left the walls that seperated the houses from the street. There was no way to go but forward, on and on and hope they could somehow outpace the creatures chasing them.

As they ran Kaoru could see a _hibagon_ run over the walls of the houses that ran along the street. She pushed on, muscles burning, but they were simply too slow to stop the _hibagon _from gaining in on them. Soon he jumped down in front of them and snarled viciously as it blocked their path. He was large, impossibly broad with a heaving chest and freely exposed fangs dripping with saliva. Forced to a stop, Kaoru pulled Yahiko around only to freeze yet again when facing the other three _hibagon._ They had no choice, they would have to go past the one that blocked their path.

It seemed that Yahiko had the same idea because he yanked himself free and pulled out his _bokken_.

"Yahiko! Don't!" She cried but it was already too late.

Her apprentice charged at the much taller ape-like demon with his sword held high. It seemed impossible that such a small _tanuki _could be so fearless when charging straight at the towering _hibagon, _but it was happening right before her eyes. Just as Yahiko brought the wood down, the _hibagon_ took hold of the wood with one big white paw and shattered it as if it was made of paper. Her apprentice could only watch wide-eyed and stumbled back but the _hibagon_ was already raising its claws.

"Yahiko!" Kaoru cried again but there was nothing she could do but watch as the other white paw lashed at the _tanuki_. Claws dug deep into a far too soft belly, effortlessly moving through cloth and skin alike and in one swipe they made a wound far more serious than Yahiko had ever experienced before. The _tanuki _ stumbled back, his front covered in blood that was sinking deep into the fabric of his _kimono_. Yahiko looked shocked, not yet processing what had happened and as he clutched his bleeding stomach he had never seemed so, so small before.

Kaoru didn't have a choice.

Reaching into the wide sleeve of her kimono she already rushed forward, putting everything she had build up during her training into it. Muscles burned, her heart was in her throat but she could hear it in her ears as she moved; one, two, three steps. Her fingers fumbled first with the pocket that held the mirror and then with the latch holding it closed and despite the heat of the moment she knew with crystal clear clarity: she would not drag Yahiko any further into this than she had to. The consequences of today would be hers to carry and hers alone. If only she could get there on time, if only these precious seconds would just linger long enough for her to protect her student from the towering _hibagon. _Her fingers slipped over the wood, sweaty with her panic and why couldn't the damn thing just open?

Just a few steps away from her, Yahiko's blood was falling onto the stones of the street and his knees fell out beneath him as it did so. He coughed, glared, struggled to stay awake but strength was visibly seeping from him with every heaving breath. Even in the face of his possible death the _tanuki _glared straight into the eyes of his attacker, stubborn and proud until the moment his body finally gave way and he fell forward.

Kaoru's apprentice was sprawled onto the streets, blood seeping out.

With a cry of panic Kaoru threw herself over him, protecting him with her body even as the mirror opened in her hands. It slipped from her fingers to stand on the street, right at Yahiko's side and as she covered the _tanuki_ with her body she could reach it easily.

"Protect me!" Kaoru cried and hit the glass hard, fuelled by panic, fear and adrenaline. She didn't know whether this was even the right way, she didn't know if it would work in time or even work at all. The sword instructor could only hope that her intent was clear, that the deal was to be made, right there and right then.

The glass cut open her palm, became stained with her blood, and freed Himura Kenshin.

_Battousai._


	4. The Kitsune

**Chapter four: The Kitsune.**

**.**

"_Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.__" - __John Lennon_

_._

Faintly, through the fabric of both Yahiko's as her own kimono, Kaoru could feel the heartbeat of her apprentice. This young demon, this _boy_, who had been entrusted in her care by fate and circumstance, was still bleeding onto the rough stones of the streets. The sword instructor knew she had only seconds, one maybe two heartbeats from her injured charge, before she would find out whether her desperate plan had worked.

Her palm was bleeding.

Kaoru wasn't even looking. Chances were that she wouldn't have seen much even if she hadn't closed her eyes, her hair was sticking to her sweaty face and even though it was confined to a pony tail it was scattered all around her because of her desperate dive, blocking out the world.

Her breath was caught in her throat.

Desperately her fingers curled and gripped the fabric of the _tanuki's_ kimono into tight fists as if she could somehow force his spirit to remain with her even if his body was dying. She didn't know how big the wound was or how deep but she knew that it was bleeding badly and that it drained Yahiko's strength with every breath he took.

She could feel the shift of air that came with fast movements. The _hibagon_ had needed even less time than she estimated it would take him and Kaoru's muscles braced themselves with the practised ease of someone who had become used to fighting. But she was ill prepared and she knew it; the sparring matches she had fought would never come close to what it would probably feel when claws tore into flesh and most likely ended her life.

Only they didn't.

There was a furious roar and a sudden dowsing of something _hot_ that sprawled over her face and back and seeped quickly into the pastel fabric of her kimono. On instinct Kaoru looked up, arms still covering her apprentice, to see the _hibagon_ stumbling back and clutching at what was left of its arm. Its blood was in her mouth but Kaoru had barely time to process that fact because there _he_ was and he was _free._

Himura Kenshin would never be done justice by an image that was merely a reflection in a mirror.

He might not have been a tall man but his spine was straight and his shoulders looked ready to carry the world and outside of a mirror his presence seemed far more commanding. He carried the look of a natural leader, one who drew people in with his personality rather than just his message, and he carried it well.

His hair was long and the same colour as the deep red of the blood that now clung to his sword. It danced gracefully along with movements as fluid as that of a tiger when he followed the stumbling _hibagon_ with ruthless efficiency. The strike of an already bloody sword was like a dragon lashing out, its tower terrifying as it cut easily through flesh and bone to sever the head from the body. The _hibagon_'s head still carried that snarling look of pain as it fell but before it hit the ground sandaled feet had already turned the demon that had cut off the _hibagon's_ head.

Moving with a speed no human could ever hope to master, Kenshin was upon the remaining three _hibagon_ to meet their reaching claws with the sting of his sword.

As if part of some sort of macabre dance, the _namahage_ used the movements of the three _hibagon_ to his advantage as if he knew where they'd strike before they did. He directed his sword with the mastery that so few achieved; natural as breathing and fast enough to rustle even the heavy fabric of his men's kimono. Along with that certain movement of his sword he moved his body between the other demons like a ghost, inescapable and untouchable and it was over far too easily and far too quickly.

Kaoru found herself struggling to accept that the fight was already over. Her practised eye had seen how he used just one swing of his sword to cut through the flesh of two creatures but her mind was struggling to process that what she had seen was real. Could one person truly contain that much power? There was nothing for her to do other than let her eyes be pulled back to the last demon still on his feet and try to digest what she saw.

Standing in the centre of those three large ape-like bodies, the _namahage_ bowed his head and flicked his sword to get rid of their blood. Calmly he slid it back into the scabbard that rested at his waist, letting the metal slide over his thumb as he guided it back into the sheath. Beneath that sheath another sword rested, still locked firmly within its confinements but the binding was as worn as that of the sword he just used.

With the careful and calm movements of a man completely in control of himself, despite the bloodshed, Kenshin lifted his head so that the bangs of his fierce hair no longer hid his eyes.

Kaoru had never fully appreciated the power those golden eyes held, burning through her, cutting through layers of flesh to gaze at her bare soul. There wasn't even a single drop of blood on the _namahage_, he had simply moved too fast for the spray of blood to catch him, and it was that pristine look that got to the blood covered sword instructor.

Kaoru looked at Kenshin and knew fear.

Those golden eyes didn't burn into her eyes for long, for Kenshin bowed his head before turning more fully to face her. His swords were still in their scabbards at his side but as he began walking towards her, Kaoru couldn't help but flinch as if he had made a sudden movement. She held onto the fabric of Yahiko's kimono just a hair tighter and leaned forward to cover most of his body with her torso. They had made a deal, he was forced to protect her.

Surely that meant that he couldn't hurt her?

The demon didn't stop his steady approach even though he saw her movements and when he came close enough he circled so that he stood on the other side of the unconscious boy she was protecting. Kenshin kneeled, unconcerned with the blood finally seeping into the white fabric of his _hakama_, blood that belonged to a _tanuki_ rather than the _hibagon._

Kaoru bowed her head to avoid having to look at him and instead focussed on the way her knuckles turned white with her grip on her student's _kimono. _This close, with no mirror to shield them, she saw the calluses on his hands come into her vision as he reached for the young _tanuki_ but as she flinched and bowed deeper to hide the boy from him they paused.

There was a silence and Kaoru didn't dare to look up into that scarred face to try and read what he was thinking. Instead she stared hard at the blood covered stones of the streets and fought against the fear that was making her body tremble and sweat and closed up her throat until she was unable to speak. Even moving seemed impossible now that she had seen the speed of his sword, the ruthlessness of his attacks and the utter efficiency with which he killed.

_Like a demon._

"Kaoru-dono," Kenshin's voice was the same outside of the mirror but now that his breath was ruffling the hairs on the back of her head, bowed deeply as she was, it made her shiver, "This one has no intention of hurting young Yahiko, he does not."

"How do I know his life isn't what you'll take from me?" Her voice trembled as she spoke and the woman felt her frustration peek. She was as defenceless as she had been surrounded by four _hibagon_ and it stung her pride more than she was willing to admit. There was nothing, _nothing_ she could do for her apprentice bleeding on the streets if this _namahage_ decided that the boy was a liability.

"This one has no interest in killing a harmless demon, so he does not. And in either case, this one firmly believes that Yahiko's life belongs to Yahiko, so he does." Kenshin gently told her and his hands were carefully covering her own.

She flinched but the red head ignored it as he carefully began prying her stiff fingers away from the fabric she was so desperately clutching. His touch was gentle but firm enough for her to feel the way his calluses scraped over her skin and that detail along with the fact that he _could touch her now_, made her look up sharply.

"Then what are you doing?" She asked and made no effort to hide the anger in her tone, blue eyes flashing as she looked up at him with the protectiveness of a mother bear watching over her cub. All that fierce anger seemed to be wasted on the demon however, for Kenshin merely smiled that warm friendly smile that he had showed her so very often since the moment they met.

"Yahiko needs help, so he does. This one merely means to carry him there."

"But what about your end of the deal?" Kaoru wouldn't release Yahiko, holding on to him stubbornly despite Kenshin's gentle urgings. "What will you take?"

Close as they were, kneeling on either side of her young apprentice, Kaoru saw the many shades of gold and dark yellow that blended to form Kenshin's uniquely coloured eyes. Something within them softened at the sight of her worry, turning into a look she could more readily indentify as belonging to the man who had helped her cook.

"That can wait, so it can." Kenshin told her, and it was that simple statement that he made rather than a long explanation that made her want to believe him.

Kaoru didn't know whether she had much choice, not when she was a mere human against a demon that was powerful enough to slaughter four others. She still felt the tight hold of fear on her body, the race of her blood, but she fought against the adrenaline as well as she could in an attempt to clear her mind and decide her next move.

Powerful didn't mean evil, her whole life she had learned that again and again with a _basan_ as a friend. Sanosuke would have probably been able to get rid of the _hibagon_, just as Kenshin had, had he been there. She trusted Sano, didn't she? Did that mean she could trust Kenshin enough to believe he wouldn't hurt her injured apprentice more than he already was?

Over the week Kaoru had begun to get to know the quiet red-head who didn't feel he was too important, or above her, to help her with the cooking. Something in his manner suggested he would have even taken over household chores had he been able to and she had begun to get used to chatting with him constantly, always that mirror at her side. Kaoru felt she could trust that demon, befriend it even, and did it really make such a big difference now that he was free?

She thought of the way he killed four others without even get a drop of blood on him and fear again ran down her spine. But before her Yahiko was so very, very pale and his breathing was becoming dangerously shallow.

Fear of losing her almost-brother quickly dominated her fear of the sword wielding demon bound to protect her.

Kenshin would have to do, for now.

Reluctantly she helped him turn her student on his back and when they did so she worried at the pale look of his face and the blood staining his clothes.

"Where do we take him?" She demanded more than asked even as Kenshin carefully began to shift his arms underneath her apprentice. For the second time that day she marvelled at how small the _tanuki_ seemed now that Kenshin, who was barely any bigger than her, seemed to tower over him. "Doctor Gensai-"

"No human doctors," Kenshin firmly decided, carefully lifting Yahiko up in his arms and standing, "We'll find Sanosuke, so we will. He would know where to go with his habit of getting into fights, so he would."

"The gambling district," She could only breathe and Kenshin nodded sharply.

"We should go quickly, so we should."

* * *

In the end it turned out a small mercy that the _basan_ had decided that today was a day for gambling rather than drinking. Drinking could be done anywhere but after the war it had become a different story when it came to gambling.

The seedier districts that held gambling joints had less prying eyes and even fewer willing to ask questions and that was the last thing Kaoru needed as they rushed down the streets. She was covered in blood, clutching a stitch at her side as she ran, and had quickly figured out that people could see Kenshin as easily as they could see Yahiko. Two people running with an injured boy in their arms would have attracted attention anywhere but at least in these streets there were fewer people to notice them and even fewer who'd dare to question them.

It was disconcerting that she was forced to rely on a demon who was, despite their week together, still essentially a stranger to her. But after her flight from the _hibagon_ Kaoru didn't think she had the strength to carry Yahiko on her own, let alone move as quickly as Kenshin did. In the _namahage's_ arms the _tanuki _didn't seem to weigh anything at all as he effortlessly kept just a step behind her, letting her lead the way.

However this was another thing to be concerned about because Kaoru had only searched for Sanosuke in these streets a few times in her life and she had no other reason to be here. Her memorywas vague at best and already they had burst into the home of an unsuspecting stranger only to leave him to his confusion as they moved on.

A ray of hope blossomed in her chest as she realized that she knew these homes and she could swear she heard the loud familiar voice of her childhood friend. With a gasp and a bit of a stumble, her legs were beginning to feel the burn of all that running, she slid open a paper door of another home, uninvited, and didn't worry about the rudeness.

There he was, his white coat spilled around him and dices in his hands. The fishbone that was between Sanosuke's teeth sagged a little as he opened his mouth in surprise, but the _basan_ was a quicker thinker than his friends. He only needed one look at the _namahage_ holding the _tanuki_ who was covered in blood to guess what had happened. Sanosuke was on his feet and by the door before his friends even had the time to complain about the intrusion.

"Ran into trouble, eh?" Sano asked but his dark eyes were lingering on the red belly of her apprentice before briefly flickering to the tilt of her chin. Her childhood friend knew that she was only holding herself together by pure necessity alone. Softly he cursed before hurriedly shutting the door in the face of one of the men he had gambled with just coming to see what was going on.

"This way," He snapped, tersely and allowed himself one last worried look before he was leading them back onto the streets and into the unfamiliar the labyrinth of their alleys.

It seemed to take forever; corner after corner, alley after alley, and all the time Yahiko's breathing was becoming more and more strained.

Evening was falling quickly, shutting out the light of the sun and offering only stars and a tiny sliver of moon in return. Kaoru followed the blaring white of Sanosuke's coat in the darkness, blindly and desperately, and vaguely aware of Kenshin moving besides her, golden eyes glowing. The cold that followed the dark was reminding Kaoru of the blood that stuck to her skin and clothes, cooling quickly in the evening air but there was nothing to do about it but to grit her teeth and bear it.

It was just when she was beginning to doubt they would find help on time, thinking that her stubborn apprentice would die on her watch but in the arms of a stranger that Sano made one last turn before impatiently pounding his fist on yet another house.

No, not a house, Kaoru realized as she got a second look, but something that looked like a small herbal store. There was an old and worn looking sign waving ever so gently in the wind but it was too dark to see what was written upon it. There were windows facing the street, displaying the wares within, but with the lack of light it was hard to make out more than vague shapes. The lack of light worried Kaoru. The lack of light meant one thing to her; surely no one was there. Would it have been better to run to doctor Gensai after all?

The light of one single candle interrupted her thoughts, slowly approaching the door as it was held by the most beautiful women Kaoru had ever seen.

It showed the woman the way to the door as she carefully picked her way around items of which Kaoru could only see the vague shape. The woman's skin was pale, her eyes were as dark as the night's sky, and her lips were painted fashionably red but it was the graceful arch of her cheekbones that captured the true beauty of her face.

Kaoru could see this much through the large windows of the shop as well as the small square windows of the surprisingly western type door. It was made of a sturdy wood that was far better at keepings strangers out than the average paper door she was used to. But then, the deserted street they were on did end exactly at said door leaving it as the home's only defence.

Pale slender fingers turned the key on the other side of the door before opening just enough for the woman to gaze at Sanosuke. She didn't seem to need more than a passing glance at her or Kenshin with Yahiko in his arms when Sano, the brash loudmouth, looked so very serious.

"We need your help, Fox."

And so she was. It had to be her worry for Yahiko that had made Kaoru miss those two light brown, almost blond, ears resting on top of the woman's head. The fox paused for barely a second, taking in the situation, before pulling her door further open to let them in. She waited only long enough for the first to part the threshold before turning to rush deeper into the shop, leaving instructions trailing in her wake.

"Put him on the table in the back, the one I grind the herbs on and make sure I'll have room to work," The strange woman stood on her toes as she carefully ran her fingers along the labels of bottles that stood on the shelves and two massive tails swung in agitation behind her, peeking out from between folds in her _kimono_ and only now revealing themselves as her back was towards them. "Then boil water and get me some towers. Show them the way, Sano."

Kenshin barely waited long enough to hear the instructions, hurrying to the back of the shop with Yahiko still held in his arms. Sano hurried after him, already calling directions, leaving Kaory to yet again follow blindly, feeling worried and as exposed as a raw nerve.

They had to pick their way carefully for the shop was littered and full even though everything was stored neatly. There were tables and shelves and closet after closet that were filled with herbs and stones and what looked like medicine and they filled every inch of the store. Even the ceiling was occupied: holding strings of odd smelling items tied together or the bones of long dead animals. Had any of them been in a different state of mind, it was unlikely they would have moved as freely as it did with all these strange things surrounding them.

Kenshin gracefully moved around every table, picking his way through as speedily and carefully as he had chosen his steps when moving into the circle of those three _hibagon. _Sano and Kaoru weren't quite as careful and the sword instructor knew they might have to pay for the items falling to the floor later. Not that it mattered; nothing mattered until Yahiko was no longer looking as if the life was slipping from him with ever step they took.

It wasn't until they got through the door in the back that they had space to breathe, finding that they were in some kind of work station. There was only one table in this room, set in the centre and cluttered with bowls and leftover traces of herbs and plants. Sano shoved them off the table with his arm without ceremony before helping Kenshin carefully lowering Yahiko to the table. The boy was groaning, which meant that at least he held enough strength to complain of his situation, and not for the first time Kaoru was thankful he wasn't human.

No human would have survived this long.

She took over his care; beginning to pull away the blood soaked clothing where it wasn't sticking to his wound while Kenshin and Sano left to begin boiling water. She was thankful for her years of practise in swordsmanship preventing her from feeling squeamish as she did so but she couldn't help but wince with every pull.

At least Yahiko was unconscious…

While the men were gone to boil water she was joined by the fox-lady who was holding several bottles of what seemed like ointment and herbs but also a small bag. It was that bag that she opened first, uncovering threat and needle and Kaoru was amazed to see how steady her hands were. So different from herself who was trembling so much that she didn't dare touch any fabric deeper in Yahiko's wounds.

"We're going to have to soak his kimono loose before I can stitch him up," The fox-lady told her, her dark eyes assessing her apprentice's state with different eyes than those of Kaoru, eyes that knew about healing not swordsmanship. "I've got some ointments and medicine to give him strength but he will have to awake for some of those. What attacked him?"

"I…I-I think it was a _hibagon_," Kaoru answered, feeling utterly useless tugging at dry parts of _kimono _while the men returned with the towels and bowls of steaming water that would truly serve his treatment. The fox lady- no that wasn't right, Kaoru knew what this woman really was.

_Kitsune._

But she didn't have time to think of what that meant, if anything at all. Not when the men put the bowls on the table and the _kitsune_ was putting the needle in first to sterilise it before soaking some of the towels. Wordlessly she handed a towel over to Kaoru, and the next minutes all her thoughts could focus on was the careful soaking and then peeling of fabric that had once been Yahiko's kimono. Again and again they pressed the towel against a small area to soak fabric from skin, then carefully pried the towel away to tug at what had once been a kimono, to see if it could be pulled away from his mangled flesh.

No more excuses then, she would have to buy him those new clothes she was considering. Kaoru fought against a hysterical giggle and then wondered what was wrong with her.

"This is going to require some effort. I'm going to need complete silence as I tend to him," The _kitsune_ interrupted her thoughts all while never looking away from her careful work, hands moving quickly and efficiently to pull the last of the fabric away, "Sano, show your friends where they can clean up and don't come in here again unless I call you."

Before her Kaoru could see the deep cut that ran through Yahiko's stomach almost completely from side by side and she couldn't guess how deep it was with all the blood that was still seeping out of his wound. It looked horrible to her inexperienced eyes but at least the skin was cut smoothly by those sharp claws instead of being left with jagged ends of skin. That had to count for something, right?

"He's going to be okay though, right?" Kaoru asked before she could stop herself, her blue eyes worriedly searching the _kitsune's_ face, "Right?"

Even she could hear the desperation, almost panic, in her voice but the _kitsune_ merely send her a somewhat arrogant look that told her to calm down and not get in the way far more effectively than anything she could have said.

"He might be," The _kitsune_ impatiently snapped, "if you let me work! Now leave!"

Point made, Kaoru let herself be shepherded out of the room by Kenshin, his hand pressing gently against the small of her back. It should have frightened her that touch but that would require her mustering energy for anything other than her worry for her apprentice and she simply didn't have it.

"Don't worry, Missy," Sano told her, grinning broadly for both their sakes but not quite able to keep himself from glancing back to the room they just left, "I've seen Megumi patch up worse wounds than that."

"Young Yahiko isn't human, so he is not," Kenshin quietly reminded her at her side, still gently guiding her across a living room she didn't even realize they entered, "And his warrior spirit is strong, so it is. You should have faith in him, so you do."

"I know,' She breathed but wrung her hands just a little tighter together, "But he's still just a boy…"

"For now you should clean yourself up or you'll just frighten him straight back into unconsciousness with the way you look," Sano teased but she could see the worry in his eyes. Not just for Yahiko, then, but her as well and belatedly Kaoru realized that she was still covered in the blood of a _hibagon. _It was a testimony of how used this _kitsune_ was to the likes of Sano that she hadn't even raised an eyebrow at her appearance.

With the new awareness of the sticky substance, however, came the realization of who put it there and Kaoru carefully side stepped to escape that hand on her back. Kenshin's head bowed but he let Sano direct her to the bath house without comment and Kaoru was glad she had some respite of that intense gaze.

Over the years the _kitsune_ had found her quite a home, or perhaps she should refer to it as a den instead considering the nature of the demon. The herbal shop in the front was a modest size, explaining the crowded space, about the size of an average living room. But behind the shop the building held plenty of room, enough for a living room, a kitchen, a bedroom and a room that the _kitsune_ used to work on medicine and, apparently, emergency patients. Beyond that was the courtyard Kaoru now crossed that held a small bathhouse and a small patch where it seemed the woman was growing her own herbs.

It felt wrong to take a bath while Yahiko was getting his skin stitched back together but Kaoru didn't know what else to do and the thought of just waiting, motionless, was unbearable. Besides, in a way Sano's comment rang true though he had said it only jokingly. When she greeted Yahiko, because he _would_ pull through she refused to believe otherwise, she wanted to do it with a smile of reassurance.

She couldn't look very reassuring if half of her was still covered in blood.

"I'll bring one of the fox's clothes later. I'm sure she won't mind parting with one of her _yukata. _She enjoys wearing _kimonos_ more, anyway," Sano easily assured her, gently nudging her into the bathhouse before turning to go tend to the fire underneath her bathtub. Considering the fact that she had started the morning to buy tofu and obviously didn't have a spare change of clothing with her Kaoru knew she didn't have much of a choice. The clothes clinging to her back were far beyond salvation.

Still Kaoru felt awkward borrowing a _yukata_ from a woman whose name she didn't even know.

Nevertheless while Sanosuke was tending to the fire beneath her bath she began carefully peeling away the crusted fabric from her skin and tried not to notice the tremble in her hands from leftover adrenaline. There was still a metallic tang on her tongue, reminding her that the blood was on her face as well, and disgusted she tried to think of other things.

All she could think about was Yahiko.

It wasn't until she slipped into the bath and eyed the far more luxurious items than that she usually used to bathe that she managed to focus on anything else. It was the striking difference between this home and her own that finally distracted her from her worry for her apprentice. Almost everything in this home seemed to be the complete opposite from her own; not a warrior's home but one of healing, not a home of a human but of a demon and an herbal patch besides the bathhouse, not a dojo.

She was in the home of a _kitsune_ now and she didn't quite know how to feel about that. The fox-lady had rushed to aid Yahiko and there had been obvious skill in the way she handled things but there was still that nagging doubt that bothered Kaoru.

_Kitsune_ were as well known kind of demon as the_ tanuki_ were, the tales of the fox-type demon being wide spread but also very contradictory. Where some stories depicted them as faithful guardians, lovers, or even wives others depicted them as tricksters, sneaky and unreliable. They could both be the villain of the story as the adversary and often they were one before becoming the other.

The one thing all stories seemed to agree on was that they were intelligent and magical, both of which only increased with their age. The more tails a _kitsune_ had, the older the creature was and therefore, presumably, the more powerful. This _kitsune_ had two, no longer a teenager, but Kaoru didn't know exactly how old that made the woman. She hoped she was at least over a hundred.

They were probably going to need pretty powerful magic to return Yahiko to his full health.

For now there was nothing for Kaoru to do other than submerge herself in the water and attempt to get rid of the blood in her hair. And if the situation overwhelmed her and forced her to shed some tears, well, nobody really needed to know but her.

* * *

When she returned, clean and covered in soft fabric, she found the two men sitting at the low table in the living room.

Kenshin had folded his arms in the sleeves of his men's _kimono, _staring into the full cup of sake that was set in front of him as if it held the answers to a difficult mystery. Sanosuke was just pouring himself a new one when she entered, offering her a grin the moment he spotted her but even that was lopsided with his worry. It seemed that Yahiko had grown on Sanosuke as quickly as the older demon had grown on the _tanuki_. Sano was more worried than he wanted to let on.

Just the sight of that worry tainting his grin had her fighting back tears.

Stubbornly she clenched her jaw and curled her hands into fists. Having some time alone while bathing had done her enough good for her hands to stop shaking but she still felt weak with worry. She wasn't just worried about her student for while she had been wondering about the _kitsune _she realized that there were so many uncertainties even if he did pull through. Uncertainties that were making her nervous.

"I'm having a really rough night here," Kaoru thus bluntly stated, even as she settled on the pillow besides Sanosuke. She paused for a moment, carefully rearranging her _yukata _around her to give herself some time to breathe and gather what was left of her ragged nerves. When she looked up she looked straight into Kenshin's violet eyes and willed herself to hold that stare, even while noting that the lack of gold didn't make his stare any less intense.

"And the only thing that I can think of to make me feel better, right now, is to know what I'm facing. So why don't you tell me what it is you're going to take from me so that I can adapt to it before Yahiko recovers consciousness?"

Her question, and probably the fierce tone in which she asked it, had frozen Sanosuke in mid-sip and had Kenshin blink in a way that suggested he was taken aback and for a moment nobody moved. Kenshin could only meet her stare with his warm violet gaze, seeming to yet again look straight into her soul the moment he recovered from his surprise and seemed to calmly consider what he found there. Sano seemed unable to move, his eyes darting between the two of them and not seeming able to make up his mind about what he found there.

Finally it was the _namahage_ that broke their stare, yet again bowing his head until his bangs hid his eyes, and Sanosuke dared to take a small sip of his cup. A moment longer nobody spoke and Sanosuke awkwardly cleared his throat as he set his cup down but Kaoru refused to budge, refused to look away until she had her answer.

"Kaoru-dono," Kenshin began carefully, "this one is afraid it won't be that easy, so it will not."

"Kenshin-" She started warningly but was silenced simply by the red head lifting his head before she could continue her threat. His eyes had briefly flashed gold and it had been that which had made her breath catch in her throat and stop speaking but they looked apologetic. In fact, there was sympathy mingling with guilt in his expression and he offered her a sheepish smile that made it hard to believe he had slaughtered four other demons not too long ago.

"This one tries very hard to have no desires," He repeated his words from a week ago. Had it truly only been a week? And his tone was as apologetic as his expression when he spoke. "To protect others from my demonic nature. But I cannot take what I don't desire, so I can not."

Kaoru didn't immediately know what to respond to that for she hadn't expected that answer. Like clockwork that had missed a beat, she stumbled and halted as she tried to wrap her mind around what he was saying.

"Wait," She frowned at him, tangling her fingers in her bangs in confusion and stared hard at the demon across her, "What…what does that mean?"

"I told ya that we tie magic to most things we do, usually without even meaning to," Sanosuke told her and his dark brown eyes were studying Kenshin with a little more intensity. It seemed that her childhood friend was finally beginning to show interest in the motives that might drive his demon friend. However, much to her annoyance, the _basan_ still refused to look worried about it. "Kenshin cannot keep up his end of the deal if he doesn't truly desire what he took in return. It goes again our demon nature to settle for less and it'll only come back to bite ya both if he does, anyway."

Kaoru looked back to Kenshin, finding that he still held that sheepish smile but also noting, for the first time, that there was blood on his _kimono_: not of _hibagon_ but of _tanuki_, who he had carried so swiftly to safety.

"So…it would be too much to ask for a sudden surge of desire for a lock of my hair, wouldn't it?" Kaoru weakly asked and suddenly felt so very, very tired.

The last bit of fire had been used up with her sudden desire to demand answers and she was paying for it now. If she hadn't been so wired with worry for her student, she imagined she might have even been able to sleep out of pure exhaustion despite all that had happened.

"This one is afraid so," Kenshin told her and for a moment she believed the regret she saw in his eyes, "However, this one will make sure Kaoru-dono will not have to wait long for an answer, so he will."

"Much help that'll do me," Kaoru couldn't help but mutter and didn't really expect an answer. So she was somewhat surprised when Sano raised an eyebrow as if she was being particularly slow or just downright missing the point. Which, when it came to demons, was bound to happen more often than either of them liked it to, anyway.

"Actually, it kinda is, Missy. Ya gave no timeline in your demand and no contract was made beforehand about how long Kenshin could think 'bout it. Technically, he would be allowed to take years to come up with his answer," He said it a bit too directly, as if she was being slow on the uptake on purpose but Kaoru could only blink blankly at him and couldn't find the energy to be annoyed.

It was so easy for the _basan_ to forget they came from different worlds.

And in either case, after all that had happened, this piece of information was a little too overwhelming to digest. She knew that her phrasing had been poor, that she would pay for not having the time to think about her exact wording, but right now she was too ragged and tired and _worried_ about her apprentice for her to fully appreciate it.

"Kaoru-dono," Kenshin softly spoke and she realized that something must have shown in her face for when she looked up his eyebrows were drawn together with concern. With a jolt of surprise, she realized that she was dead certain that this worry was for her state of mind without it spawning from some sort of hidden agenda. She hadn't expect to feel so certain about anything that the red head did.

"This one understands that it's a lot to take in. However, Kaoru-dono should not worry too much, so she should not. Even if this one did not want to, the deal will force me to protect you. Deciding on what to take from you factors into that, so it does."

"An' I know you're scared," Sanosuke interrupted in his usual loud voice, frowning down at her in a mixture of disappointment and concern, "But do ya really think I would've made ya carve ya name in that mirror if I didn't think Kenshin was a good guy? If I didn't think ya would be jus' fine makin' this deal with him?"

Kaoru didn't have the right response ready and found she was searching his expression instead. Sanosuke had always been a source of power to her and feeling as drained as she did, she felt she could really use some of that strength. Like always the _basan _responded to that look, this time by letting his hand rest heavily, warmly on her shoulder. For a moment she felt like that child again that had scraped her knee chasing down toads and having her best friend comfort her in her plight before he would chase down another toad for her.

"It'll be alright. I promise," Sanosuke said with those familiar brown eyes of his boring into hers.

Before Kaoru could make up her mind about whether she believed her childhood friend or not, the door opened and a tired looking fox greeted them. Immediately Kaoru forced herself to her feet, not even noticing the two men doing the same, and searched the _kitsune's_ expression for answers before the woman could even speak. There was the strain of fatigue around the woman's mouth, making the sword instructor guiltily wonder how long she had lingered in that bath, but also a sense of triumph in her eyes as well.

"He's going to be alright," the fox told them simply, as Kaoru had guessed she would.

In sheer relief, Kaoru grabbed hold of Sanosuke's arm to keep from collapsing to her knees right there and then. The _basan_ didn't seem to mind, merely sending the _kitsune_ a grin that was on the verge of cracking his face.

"You did it again, Fox!"

The _kitsune_ merely waved away his compliment before stepping to the side to free the way to the other room.

"You can see him now but you better not wake him," There was still that sense of accomplishment lingering around the woman as she spoke but also a sense of authority that none of them felt like questioning. Functioning as the doctor, she had the final call when it came to her unexpected patient. But a little warning about waking Yahiko was hardly enough to stall them and Sanosuke didn't need to be told twice before he was already moving to the door the moment Kaoru let go of his arm.

Kaoru was almost half-way to the door herself when she remembered, far too late, to turn towards the foxnwho had opened her shop for them and asked no questions about a woman covered in blood and a boy with his belly cut open.

"I-I'm sorry for not asking before but…what's your name?" Kaoru could feel a blush beginning to creep over her face as she asked it, embarrassed by her lack of manners. Of course there had been other things on her mind but it still seemed odd that she had trusted her student in the care of a woman she didn't even know the name of. In fact, she became acutely aware yet again that she was wearing the fox's clothes.

"Megumi. Takani Megumi," The _kitsune_ told her simply, seeming amused but not offended.

Kaoru bowed deep enough to let the moist braid of her hair slip over her shoulder as she spoke and found that she meant it with every fibre of her being.

"Thank you for saving my student, Megumi-san,"

"Yes, yes," Megumi impatiently answered, "Now go and see for yourself that he's going to be fine. I'll try and see whether I've got some spare beds while you're checking him over. We're going to have to move him to a proper bed soon and I'll need the help of one of you to do so without upsetting his injuries."

Kaoru didn't need another push and she turned to rush back into the room that held her student. She was only vaguely aware of the men following her example to go see him, all of her attention trained on Yahiko as he lay still on that table. He was still pale, there were too many bloody towels for her tastes, but his breathing was steadier than it had been when they brought him here and there were fresh bandages around his waist.

"Yahiko," Kaoru breathed his name and didn't have the words to express her relief.

She could only carefully run her fingers through his hair in that way she knew he hated and struggle against the torrent of emotion her tired body still managed to bear, somehow. It was only then, with Kenshin and Sano on either side of her, that she finally spoke the one question she should have uttered ages ago.

"Who would do this?"

She didn't really expect an answer but Kenshin gave her one anyway.

"Shishio."

.

_**Author's note: I want to thank you all for taking the time to post reviews on the previous chapter. I know I don't respond to all of them, but every single one pushes me forward to finishing a chapter no matter how difficult it sometimes gets. So thank you and very much so, at that.**_


	5. The human

**Author's note: I am sorry for the long wait for this update. I got a pretty bad case of the flue, hence why it took me longer to write this chapter. Hopefully I will be back on schedule of having only a week or so between chapters. Also, I realized that not all names for Japanese outfits might be familiar to most readers. I tried describing them but found that it took away too much from the story. Therefore I'd rather give the definition for them now for those who need them:**

_Yukata_: Comfortable cotton _kimono_ decorated with patterns, usually in the shades of indigo, worn by Japanese men and women. The _yukata_ was originally designed as a nightgown and for wear in the home after a bath. The main difference between a _yukata_ and a kimono is that a _yukata_ has not nearly got as many layers as a _kimono_ traditionally does.

_Kimono:_ A traditional Japanese costume, worn by men and women. It is a straight cut robe, which closes on the right and is secured by a sash (obi). Broad sleeves (sode) hang loosely. Kimonos worn by women are distinguished by a very wide sash and long sleeves, which are cut in one piece with the rest of the gown. There are evening, home, everyday, street, and ceremonial types of kimonos. Each type is made from a different material and has a distinctive cut.

_Uwagi: _An Uwagi is a kimono-like jacket worn in Japan. It is most familiar as the top half of a martial arts uniform.

_Hakama: _Are wide almost skirt-like pants that are worn over a _kimono._ _Hakama_ are tied at the waist and fall approximately to the ankles.

**I recommend you look up their history on the internet. It's actually a pretty fun read. Now without further ado:**

**.**

**Chapter five: The human.**

**.**

"_It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." ― __J.R.R. Tolkien__, __The Lord of the Rings_

_._

Shishio.

No longer the name of a spirit terrorizing faceless people far away but the name of a man who had struck home. He had hurt her apprentice, struck so terribly close to Kaoru's heart and he didn't even leave her with a face to connect to that name. It didn't make sense to the sword instructor but she had a feeling that Kenshin knew why. She would have to ask him about that later when exhaustion wasn't making her feel as if she could faint at any moment. Or when she wouldn't feel quite as close to tears looking down at the boy she had taken into her home.

Yahiko's pale expression tugged at her heart strings and part of her was relieved the young _tanuki_ wasn't conscious to experience the pain, at least not yet. He would face the pain bravely when the time came, Kaoru knew, his jaw set and his brow furrowed in stubborn anger as he would keep the worst of it to himself. It only made he want to take her apprentice and run far away as if that would somehow protect him from all of this.

But running away wasn't going to help either of them.

She'd blame herself for getting the both of them into danger but that would mean blaming Sanosuke if she _really_ thought about it. Right now she couldn't muster the energy to blame anyone, let alone someone whose support she badly needed.

"We'll move him to the living room," The brisk voice of Megumi interrupted her thoughts. When Kaoru looked up she was amazed at how well put together the _kitsune_ still looked, as if emergency patients were brought to her all the time and nothing to worry about. "I've got some spare beds but they're too heavy for me to lift."

"I'll help ya out, Fox," Sanosuke easily offered and when he moved to exit the room he moved with his usual energized, almost boisterous, manner. To Kaoru, who never felt more tired in her life, it seemed almost impossible that he could still muster that kind of energy. Then again, while she had been chased down by _hibagon _he had been _gambling_ so perhaps she ought to cut herself some slack.

"I haven't got much room left," She heard Megumi say, "You are all going to have to sleep in the living room."

Kaoru could only sigh. At least she didn't have to change in front of the men but she had hoped that she would at least have one night to herself. She hadn't slept in an unoccupied room since Sanosuke tossed that mirror in her lap and called it a present.

"You look tired, so you do," Kenshin's quiet voice sounded far too close for comfort and a little startled the assistant director looked up and immediately met warm violet eyes. She much preferred the gentler almost-purple to his blazing gold but his gaze was as intense as always. It forced her to look back down to her sleeping apprentice to avoid it.

"I imagine anyone would be," She simply answered, not wanting to go into detail about her feelings with this particular demon. Silence fell and though Kaoru could still feel his gaze on her she kept stubbornly silent.

"Kaoru-dono, this one-"

"Ack!"

Sanosuke's cry interrupted whatever Kenshin had planned to say and startled they shared a quick look before both ran for the door. Kaoru forgot her fear for the _namahage _because that cry had sounded like Sano and the last thing she needed was another one of her friends hurt. It didn't even bother her that Kenshin's hand was already on one of his swords or that his eyes had returned to that fierce gold. Instead she followed him blindly as he rushed out in front of her, his bright hair dancing.

They followed Sanosuke's voice for his curses rang quite clearly through the walls of the _kitsune's _home but they didn't need to follow them for long. They found him in the living room just a door further, in front of a cupboard that was previously hidden. But while they might've found him, the sight of the _basan_ made them both stop in confusion rather than come to his aid.

Whatever they had expected to encounter; this was not it.

Sanosuke was stumbling backwards and cursing violently with every step. Long white fabrics were wrapped around his neck and chin and were trapping his arm somewhere between his neck and the cotton rather awkwardly.

Upon closer inspection Kaoru saw that it was a long roll of cotton bandages that he was struggling with. While bandages were a daily part of Sano's life, he had the habit of wrapping it around his hands and waist only and so it had no business being anywhere near his face.

So what was he doing?

After the terrifying chase and subsequent injury of her apprentice, her mind felt sluggish and slow to respond to what she was seeing. Kaoru could only stand and stare as her friend stumbled across the room in an apparent struggle with himself.

"Idiot," Megumi snorted from the other doorway through which they hadn't been guessed that that led to the _kitsune's_ bedroom.

The woman was holding a pile of blankets and wearing a supremely unconcerned expression. In fact she only coolly raised an eyebrow when the _basan _stumbled further across her living room and ran into her table. Apparently it didn't impress her that he did so with his shins with enough force to shift the table and increase the venom in his curses.

"I told you to only touch what I told you to. How long do you think I've had this house?"

As she spoke Kaoru could see the bandages shift, an extra length wrapping itself around Sanosuke's face to squish his nose without anything prompting the cotton to do so. It could no longer be denied that the bandages were moving on their own and rather effectively at that. As she watched another roll was already moving to wrap around his chin to further encase Sano's face in white cotton that had looked so harmless just seconds ago.

Kenshin needed no further explanation. In one smooth movement he slid the same sword free that he previously used on the _hibagon_ and stepped forward.

Startled Kaoru reached out to stop him but the _namahage_ was already upon her childhood friend. She had barely even seen him move, he was just that fast. It was just like how it was with the _hibagon_ all over again and there was nothing Kaoru could do. Four _hibagon_ had had no chance against a single _namahage. _Just how much of a chance did one single _basan_ have?

"Don't!" She cried but Kenshin's sword flashed and expecting blood the sword assistant cringed.

Kenshin smoothly cut through the cotton that was trying to strangle her friend and freed him with that one movement alone. The bandages curled and writhed as if in pain the moment they fell to the floor but neither man paid much attention to it. Sanosuke continued to curse, though more quietly now, as he massaged his nose and glowered at the fox.

"Why didn't ya help me out? It's _your _home."

"I _told _you that you couldn't touch anything. It isn't my fault that you didn't listen."

"So I spilled some sake on my hands earlier! How was I supposed to know trying to change my bandages would make your freaking house attack me?!"

While they bickered Kenshin merely slid his sword back into his sheath but bowed his head as he did so; hiding his eyes. It was impossible to guess what he was thinking when he did that but Kaoru did have a hunch. Something told her that the _namahage_ was bothered by the way she cried out in fear as he unsheathed his sword.

Ruthlessly Kaoru squashed the weird flash of guilt that thought caused. She could hardly be blamed for being worried when an obviously powerful demon advanced upon her friend with a weapon. Especially if said demon was only bound to protect _her_ and no one else.

Sanosuke distracted her from her troubled thoughts by stomped on the writhing cotton in a petty kind of revenge, cursing colourfully as he did so. Apparently he was done arguing with the fox but he hadn't forgiven that which had attacked him yet.

"What…" Kaoru shook her head, trying to think but she never heard of cotton being _alive_ before, "Was that..?"

"Ittan-momen," Megumi told her frankly, her long tails betraying her irritation while her face was smooth.

Kaoru felt a stab of envy because of the way that woman could hold onto her composure. The _kitsune_ didn't even dignify Sanosuke with an irritated look but instead moved past him with the blankets still in hand. She tossed the blankets onto spare beds Kaoru hadn't noticed before turning to face them again. It was only then that the fox caught her confused look and she sighed.

"It's a possessed roll of cotton that attempts to smother people by wrapping itself around their faces," Megumi told her before smiling a smile that seemed just a touch too sharp, "I suggest you don't touch anything in this house you don't have to. Most of the items I have are over a hundred years old."

Kaoru was well aware of the myth that told of objects becoming alive after their hundredth birthday. Apparently it wasn't so much a _myth_ as she thought it had been. After a night like tonight, Kaoru would've believed anything even if she hadn't grown up seeing the many things she had. So she took Megumi's word as gospel and made a mental not to touch anything.

Still, she had a suspicion that the fact that she was used to seeing weird things since she was a child was the only thing that still left her standing. Even with the samurai upbringing her father insisted on, one that forced women to be stronger than what most expected, she would've fainted long ago if she hadn't been so used to strange events.

"I just want to go to bed," She voiced her thoughts in one long sigh, pinching her brow and wishing she could just wake up tomorrow to realize that it had all been a bad dream.

"You get into bed then, Missy," Sanosuke offered, shrugging gently as he added, "Kenshin and I will carry Yahiko to one of the other beds."

Which would also leave her with a window of opportunity to climb with the little dignity that she had left even if it did deny her a chance to help her student.

Tired as she was, the sword assistant agreed readily and trusted Sano to take care of her apprentice even if Kenshin didn't. The moment the men left the room she bid goodnight to the fox and slid into one of the spare beds that the woman had prepared. The fact that the beds were placed around the low table so that it didn't need to be removed didn't even bother her.

They were lucky to even have been given a place to sleep as it was.

Sleep tugged heavily at her eyelids but Kaoru wouldn't let herself sink into slumber until she heard the men carefully shuffling into the living room and put down her apprentice. Yahiko didn't even moan once and that proved just how careful the men had been with him. Reassured, Kaoru closed her eyes and curled deeper into her bed to prepare to sink into the comforting embrace of sleep.

Just before sleep overtook her, she heard a body settling close by. Tiredly she cracked open an eyelid to see Kenshin settle against the wall near the foot of her bed, knees drawn up and one of his swords resting against his shoulder. It was too dark to see but she guessed his other sword was close by.

Kaoru realized that she should ask him to find a bed of his own or even just to move away from the foot of hers. But it just seemed too much effort when she knew that the _namahage _would simply look at her with that intense gaze of his, in that quiet stubborn way that after a week of living with him she discovered he had. No force on earth would be able to move him from his spot, let alone a wrung out assistant teacher.

Tonight she would pretend not to notice and let him get away with it.

She figured it was probably the last night that they slept in the same room, anyway.

* * *

Kaoru awoke to the smell of rice and sound of good natured bickering.

She didn't recognise the female voice quite as easily as she recognised Sano's and for a moment she wondered why there would be another female in her home. Her bed was warm and soft, her eyelids still felt very heavy despite the brightness of the room telling her that it was getting late already, and sluggishly her mind struggled to comprehend what was going on.

_Getting tofu. Hibagon. Yahiko, covered in blood. Homes flashing by as they ran for help. Kitsune._

Great, now she wished she didn't remember anything at all.

With a groan of effort Kaoru turned on her back and sighed as she rubbed her eye in an attempt to wake up. As she looked around she noticed that she was the only one besides Yahiko in the living room and she couldn't help but feel relieved. It would just have been a sign of another bad day if she had woken up to the sight of Kenshin still hovering close. She knew she hadn't imagined the way he had settled for the night so close to her bed.

"Morning, Missy," Sano brightly greeted her, sliding open the paper door and seeming far more awake than he usually did in the mornings. Apparently bickering with the fox had put him in a good mood for his grin was bright even as he set down the first bowls that contained their breakfasts. It was a good thing that they never moved the table in the living room, then.

"Breakfast's ready. So ya better get ya lazy ass out of bed."

A little blearily she did as she was told and it wasn't long before the _kitsune_ and _namahage_ joined them for breakfast.

Naturally the _kitsune_ was looking perfectly groomed and awake, gracefully serving them all breakfast in a manner that no perfect housewife would have been able to perfect. It made Kaoru, whose braid was messy and still had sleep sticking to her eyelids, feel all the more rumpled. As if that wasn't awkward enough, even Kenshin seemed to have found the time to wash up and change into a fresh set of clothes.

Just how long had she been asleep?

Kenshin's _kimono_ was a light red, almost pink, that would've been girly on any other man of his build. Perhaps it was the bright red of his hair or the deep set of his scar that somehow made it seem perfectly ordinary on the _namahage. _But the light fabric nevertheless made him look just a little softer and more approachable and Kaoru couldn't help but wish that it didn't. She had no business thinking of Kenshin as approachable after he had revealed to her the power that his slender arms held.

"This one is aware that Kaoru-dono has been through a lot," Kenshin started carefully and guiltily Kaoru looked away from him. Just how long had she been staring? "But there are some matters to discuss, so there are."

"What kind of matters?" Kaoru frowned, picking at her rice with her chopsticks. The demon had told her that he wasn't ready to take his end of the bargain just the night before. Surely that hadn't changed so soon?

"Megumi-dono has agreed to go by Kaoru-dono's family dojo as she's the only one not known to Shishio yet, so she is. She will get some spare set of clothes and lock up but if there is anything else Kaoru-dono needs, now would be the time to ask for it, so it would."

"I…" Kaoru tried to think of anything she needed desperately. She realized that the dojo needed to be closed temporarily; at least long enough for her to know her students wouldn't be mauled by demons mid-lesson. Yet the news still upset her enough that she struggled to think quite as clearly as she'd like to. What did she need?

"My father's books," She finally decided, swallowing thickly as she tried not to think of all the other items, precious items that held memories but no purpose. She would have to trust that they'd be safe left in her home as much as they normally were when she stepped out for an errand.

"He had some books that held details about demons and spirits and how to get rid of them if they were trouble. I think it's about time I read those books, considering what happened."

"Yeah alright, but ya only got time to study them for a few days while we make preparations," Sano carelessly told her between bites. He didn't even bother to look up from his bowl as he told her; "We can't afford to stay much longer than three days or so."

"Three days? But what about Yahiko?" Kaoru asked, already alarmed and much more awake than she had been just minutes ago, "I don't care how fast you demons heal. He won't be ready to be moved anywhere after just a few days!"

"Of course he won't be," Sano frowned at her and quite suddenly Kaoru knew that she was missing something important before he even swallowed another bite.

"Then what are you-"

"He'll stay here. Megumi's agreed to look after him until we come back from Kyoto," Sanosuke easily answered, making a waving motion as if he could somehow wave away her concern with that gesture. "Don't worry about it. She's nicer than she looks."

This earned him a vile look from the _kitsune_ but Kaoru had her own temper to deal with. She could feel it rise like one of her badly cooked dinners as she began to understand what had happened while she was asleep. Whatever plan they had come up with between them, no one had bothered to wait for her input before deciding to go ahead and begin making arrangements.

"What do you mean…" Kaoru tightened her hold on her chopsticks until she could feel the wood straining already so close to snapping, "What do you mean… until_ we _come back from Kyoto?"

"Shishio is a very dangerous man, so he is," Kenshin told her quietly and calmly, setting down his bowl of rice and reaching for his cup of tea, "He must be stopped."

"Well then feel free to go ahead and stop him!" Kaoru snapped, "But leave me out of this!"

"The problem is that we _can't_, Missy," Sano sighed at her, his dark eyes taking in her angry expression with a hint of resignation in them, "Ya _have _to come with us. Even if ya hadn't bound Kenshin to you, Shishio obviously already knows of your existence. He'll use you-"

"I don't care!" She snapped, slamming her hands on the table and glaring at all two of the three demons gathered at the table. "I am the last of a samurai family and I will not leave my home just because a bunch of demons decided-"

"This one is bound to protect Kaoru-dono, so he is," Kenshin interrupted her and his violet gaze met her furious blue one unflinchingly, "I can only do that as long a Kaoru-dono is in my sight."

"Well then feel free to stay here as well," Kaoru snapped and fought the urge to slap Sano when she saw him sigh, "I never wanted to be part of any of this. All I want is to keep my family's dojo somehow afloat and preserve our family's honour. I need to stay here for that, not run off with you guys on some wild adventure to Kyoto."

Angrily she shook her head before leaning in to all but snarl the one truth that weighed the heaviest on her chest. Yes, she was worried about her father's dojo. Yes, she was worried about what would happen if she left without notice and no student knew where to find her. But there was something even more important at stake.

"I will _not_ leave Yahiko," She hissed, her eyes turning almost black in her anger as she glared at the demons who, just moments ago, she had innocently been sharing breakfast with, "I will not leave him with a woman he does not know and only the vague promise that I will return to take him home! Do you even know what that boy has already been through? I _won't leave him_."

"If Shishio is left unattended he won't stop at just taking over Kyoto. He plans to take over Japan and have it ruled by demons, so he does," Kenshin countered with a soft voice but a stubborn look in his eyes. The _namahage_ had no intention of letting her stay; everything from the look in his eyes to the set of his jaw told her that. "But only the demons of his choosing. Young Yahiko, as a _tanuki_, would be as much at risk as the humans would be, so he would."

"You'll break our contract if you force me to go to Kyoto with you," Kaoru insisted, not afraid to use any kind of tactic to get her way. After just a week of demons and possessed rolls of cotton, she had had quite enough. All she wanted was take her apprentice home and return to their quiet life even if that meant using their contract against him.

"You're bound to protect me. I'm pretty sure dragging me towards a city that is ruled by a demon obviously out to get you is directly at odds with protecting me."

"If Shishio will take over Japan all humans will be at risk, so they will," Kenshin shook his head as he said so before looking back up to her again. He looked like a man resigned to his fate and one that wanted her to do the same. "He intends to use humans as a means to an end only and discard those who do not fit his needs. He's already shown that he is aware of the connection between this one and Kaoru-dono. In the end it will be less dangerous to take Kaoru-dono to Kyoto now, under this one's protection, so that this one can kill Shishio. Rather than wait until Shishio has already taken over Japan and is already harming humans, so it will."

"You gotta understand, Missy,-" Sano began but in a flash of temper Kaoru stood from the table to glare down at him.

"I got to understand? _I got to understand? _I think you'll find I've done plenty of understanding already!" She glowered at him, raising her voice enough to have Megumi raise her eyebrow. Kaoru had all but forgotten the _kitsune_ was in the room and the only reason why she noticed her now was because Megumi send a pointed look towards her apprentice. It was Yahiko lying there, and Yahiko alone, that forced Kaoru to soften her voice.

She did nothing to soften her glare, however, nor the razor sharp edge in her tone.

"I understood perfectly well when you tricked me into making a deal with a demon. I understood perfectly well when I had to spend a week with said demon in my mirror, forcing me to cover every single one of them if I ever wanted to sleep or bathe. I understood perfectly when I had to bind a demon to me just to _save my apprentice_ and I understood perfectly well when we had to take him to another demon _I did not know_ to save his life!" Kaoru felt tears gather in her eyes but it was too late to stop now.

All the fear, all the anger and all the confusion welled up from a place deep in her chest and left her in one rush of breath. She felt that she had dealt well with everything that had happened to her but enough was enough. She was _frightened,_ and at the moment homeless, and now they wanted her to leave her apprentice in the care of a woman she did not know and leave everything she knew behind for an undetermined amount of time.

It simply wasn't going to happen.

"But now you want me to leave _my apprentice_, my home and my _life _behind all because you said so? No! I'm done understanding!" Kaoru could hear the tears in her voice as she spoke and angrily she wipes her eyes before turning to rush to the door. She meant to escape, though she had no clear plan as to where to, but she was stopped by Kenshin blocking her way.

He looked apologetic, concerned and even _guilty_ but at the same time she could tell that he wasn't going to change his mind. She huffed at him and made a move to pass him but the demon reached out and grabbed her elbow. Kaoru expected his hold to be firm but it was surprisingly gentle as he urged her to turn and face him.

"Kaoru-dono," His voice never rose, it seemed incapable to, and there was no anger in his gaze as he looked down at her. Yet she wouldn't answer that stare, refused to acknowledge the emotions she might find there when her own threatened to all but choke her. Her throat felt thick and she swallowed heavily even as she jerked her arm to try and escape his hold.

At this point she wasn't very surprised to find that Kenshin never let her escape his grasp, despite the gentle nature of that hold.

"Kaoru-dono," He started again, "Even if you and Yahiko return to your home, Shishio will not rest until Kaoru-dono is either dead or dying, so he will not."

"But why?" She heard the weakness in her voice and cursed herself for it. She was the daughter of a samurai; she could not afford to be weak. Determinately she frowned deeply and fought back tears, anger, and regret. "What did I ever do to Shishio?"

"Shishio must be aware of the contract between this one and Kaoru-dono, so he must. Demon magic is volatile, Shishio knows this. Just because he did not succeed in killing Kaoru-dono before this one was released, does not mean that he will stop trying to hurt her, so it does not," Kenshin's hand finally left her arm as he explained, knowing that she had no choice but to listen, "Should Kaoru-dono die before the deal can be completed it is likely that it will hurt this one in some way. Shishio has nothing to lose by trying and see what will happen, so he does not."

"The only way to get your old life back," Sanosuke added when Kaoru only bowed her head and balled her hands into fists in response, "Is to kill Shishio before he can do too much damage."

They were expecting an answer. They were expecting her to resign to her fate and join them on this strange journey. They were expecting her to smile and tell them what she would need to make the journey to Kyoto. They expected her to act on that shimmering boiling hatred she now harboured for a faceless man named Shishio because he had hurt her apprentice. Because he had upset her life.

Perhaps, Kaoru thought, they simply expected too much.

"I hate you both," She could only mutter in a low but shaky tone before finally leaving the room, not really knowing where she was going. She did not have Megumi's penchant for dignity but she knew when to retreat before too much damage to her honour could be done.

Kaoru would not let anyone see her cry.

* * *

It was Megumi who found her.

Granted, with a limited space available for her to run to, it was most likely that it hadn't taken much to find just where she was hidden. The demons had probably known where she was the moment she settled down to cry but at least they had had the decency to give her a moment to herself.

Nevertheless Kaoru felt oddly thankful that it was a female who found her sitting on the dry earth on the other side of the bathhouse, not one of the men. There wasn't even anything to stare at, merely the blank wall separating the _kitsune's_ garden from her neighbour's home and the few geckos that scampered across the stone. Kaoru was sure she would've made a pitiful sight even without the red eyes that came from crying.

Megumi didn't say anything at first. Instead she fished out a long elegant looking pipe from within her _kimono_ and took her time lighting it. Seeing the _kitsune _wearing those elegant clothes only reminded Kaoru of the state she was in just as it had done earlier that morning.

Her hair was half undone, she wore a borrowed and slept in _yukata _and there was no make-up in sight_._ Kaoru was the complete opposite of the composed woman who looked far too clean to be sitting on the dry sand with her.

There was nothing special, nothing mythical, no excessive amount of grace when it came to humans. It was for a reason that _kitsune_ and other demons like them were described as having _inhuman _kind of grace, after all. They had a kind of grace that went far beyond the pitiful appearance of mere mortals.

Kaoru was very sure she never looked more _human_ in her life.

"When I met Sanosuke," Megumi started casually and didn't look away from the blank spot of wall in front of them, "I had no family to speak of and was under the iron hold of a man named Takeda Kanryu. Now, Kanryu loved money almost as much as he loved himself and he did not shy away from any kind of means to get it. It's why he wanted to possess me, you see, because my medicinal background allowed me to create new kinds of opium for him. Of course the fact that I am a _kitsune_ only sweetened the deal."

Calmly the _kitsune_ took a drag of her pipe, letting this new information sink in before continuing. Her almost bored tone never changed and neither did her expression, not really. It was her two long furry tails that gave away the turmoil that went on inside of the fox's mind. Some memories, after all, would always call for an emotional response no matter how many years it might have been.

"By the time I met Kanryu, he had already acquired enough money and power to make sure that there was nowhere for me to run once he caught me. There was no demon or human that could not be bought, that would be above selling me out. I had no choice but to whatever I could to survive. Under Kanryu's command that meant making the drugs I knew were robbing people of their lives," For the first time there was something like grief appearing on the fox's face but the woman hid it quickly. Calmly she tapped her long pipe against the hot sand they were sitting on before continuing her story, "I met Sano only by accident. I was accompanying Kanryu to a deal with a more high profile criminal. He enjoyed flaunting the fact that he had a _kitsune_ on his side because we're supposed to bring good fortune. Sanosuke was there to gamble, you know how he likes to hang out with the rough crowd…"

"Megumi why are you-"

"I spilled tea on him," The _kitsune_ calmly continued, cutting through Kaoru's interruption, "And Kanryu overreacted. Sanosuke vowed to get me away from him on the spot but I didn't believe him until he showed up at the gate the next night, wearing his big sword and cocky grin. He used a force no human could ever exhibit and took me far enough away that even Kanryu could not find me, though not without discouraging him from following me first. And not only Kanryu but he made sure that the word was spread that anyone following me would be sure to meet misfortune. I owe him my life,"

Finally the _kitsune_ looked at her and Kaoru understood what the woman was saying. A debt like that wouldn't be easily repaid. Kaoru couldn't begin to phantom what that would mean if said debt was between demons on top of that. Important actions like that would undoubtedly call forth the magic that every demon possessed; only further strengthen the ties between them.

Was that why the _basan_ bickered so very easily with the fox?

"I don't understand," Kaoru finally stated, dropping her gaze from Megumi's cool look to instead fiddle with the edges of her sleeve, "Why are you telling me this?"

"To let you know that Yahiko will be perfectly safe here. Even if I didn't have my doctor's oath to make sure of that, Sanosuke is obviously attached to the boy. Letting him come to danger would violate the contract between us," Calmly Megumi tapped her pipe again but there was a hint of ice in her voice as she added, "Not to mention that I'm not heartless enough to leave a boy like that defenceless."

"I didn't mean to imply anything," Kaoru started guiltily, suddenly realizing just how it must've appeared to the fox, "But I've only known you for a few hours…"

"There's another reason why I told you about Kanryu," Megumi continued, her expression hardening as she turned to look at the sword instructor. Something about that gaze forced Kaoru to look up, to lock eyes with the fox and let her words truly reach through her stubborn skull.

"I have seen firsthand the destruction that madmen in power delight in creating. I know better than anyone why they should never be allowed to get the kind of power they truly desire. Men like that…they have no soul, no heart. Kanryu was perfectly happy to walk over the living corpses of the addicts that hung around his doorstep if that meant he could continue making money every day. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I…" Kaoru started but found that she had to stop herself. Did she truly understand what was at stake if they let Shishio continue his plans unchallenged?

"Just look at what drove you here," Impatiently the fox gestured back towards her home, the place where Yahiko was recovering from his injuries, "Shishio already offered you a glimpse of his ruthlessness. He must've known that sending _hibagon_ after you wouldn't just endanger you alone. He didn't think twice about potentially murdering a young demon, a _child_ who had done nothing to oppose him, just for being in the way. Just what do you think will happen once a man like that takes over? And not just to children, not just to humans, but to demons as well! An entire nation would suffer because you're afraid of leaving your home behind."

"I think it's perfectly understandable for me to be upset!" Kaoru snapped, stung, "I didn't ask for any of this. I never asked to be bound to a demon!"

"Well you've had your moment," Megumi answered, the ice in her voice far more effective than Kaoru's rising tone, "And now it's time to get yourself together and do what is needed, for all our sakes."

With those stinging words delivered, the fox stood with the same elegant grace with which she did everything. The woman didn't even spare Kaoru another glance but instead calmly began her trip back to her home. As if the _kitsune_ didn't need to look back to see what she would do, as if she knew that Kaoru would do the right thing.

Kaoru wiped her nose with her sleeve and followed the woman back into the house.

* * *

Predictably most of the preparations they had to make were for Kaoru's sake.

Demons relied heavily on instinct and magic to supply them, as most demons tended to wander. They weren't quite as accustomed to the comforts of home as Kaoru was. Sanosuke especially barely seemed to need anything and every time he agreed to take anything with him Kaoru had the nagging sense he only did so to humour her.

In fact, when she stopped to think about it, all Sanosuke had ever seemed to bring with him whenever he wandered off back in her childhood years were the clothes on his back. And he returned very much in the same state that he had left.

However, this time they needed supplies for cooking as well as sleeping bags now that there was a human tagging along. Since most of their journey towards Kyoto would consist of forests and grassland, they could rely on trees to shelter them from the worst rain.

Already Kenshin had crushed her hopes of sleeping in inns during their travels, insisting that the only safe place he knew was in Kyoto and that they could not risk staying at inns underway. Doing that would only to get them ambushed in their sleep, or so he thought. It was uncomfortable but it was necessary and Kaoru stopped herself from complaining. She only needed to look at her sleeping apprentice to find the courage to face whatever discomfort their journey might bring them.

Yahiko only woke twice, for a small breakfast and dinner, and he had trouble concentrating when he did. Kaoru was told that this was to be expected. All of his magic and natural healing energy went to the wound on his stomach and he had nothing left to spare for anything else.

Kaoru could only hope he'd be awake the morning they would leave.

Another matter to address was the state of her appearance. Attached to her _kimonos_ as she was, they would not allow much room for movement and that was a problem. Her encounter with the _hibagon_ had already made it painfully clear that she needed to be better prepared for whatever Shishio would manage to send their way.

In the end they decided that her training outfit, the deep blue _hakama_ and white _uwagi_, would have to do. It was unconventional but not unheard of for a woman to teach in the art of swords, should she be the last of her family. She would be able to pass through towns without drawing too much attention to herself.

Kaoru put her foot down about her weapon however, refusing to use anything but her familiar wooden sword. No matter how the demons argued, she refused to wield sharp steel that would kill rather than stun. She could tell that this worried the _namahage, _who had looked at her long and hard before nodding his consent.

Three days passed and the morning of their departure came.

Megumi yet again proved her worth. The _kitsune_ had decided that Yahiko was stable enough that she could afford to use magic to aid them on their journey. Being blessed by a _kitsune _meant having luck on your side and they were in desperate need of it. Megumi couldn't risk a spell that was too strong, not when Yahiko was still healing, but she offered what she could and they were grateful for it.

But there was more that the woman could do for them.

From within the many folds of her _kimono, _the fox pulled out a pipe of bamboo about the length of her underarm. A soft command called forth a rat-sized creature that looked to be a minature version of a fox. Kaoru learned it was called _kuda-gitsune,_ a particular useful kind of demon.

Normally the creatures were summoned to answer questions only but this particular _kuda-gitsune _had been with Megumi long enough for the _kitsune _to ask for other kinds of favours. The tiny fox was told to give a message to the people Kenshin knew in Kyoto, who belonged to a group called Oniwabanshu**, **to let them know they were coming.

With that simple command given, the tiny fox yipped once before turning sleekly to dive back into the bamboo. When Megumi put the bamboo back into the folds of her _kimono _Kaoru got just a long enough glimpse to see it was now empty. Ah the advantages of possesing magic...

"I'd love to get one of those," Kaoru commented, thinking back on the dog-like vermin that she had chased away from her property less than a month ago. Why did she only attract the kind of demon that were best described as pests? And as far as she was concerned, chicken were included in that category.

"Maybe someday you'll deserve one," Megumi sniffed in response with her usual arrogance.

After their heated discussion they had come to some kind of uneasy truce but Kaoru knew that she would never be able to truly call the _kitsune_ her friend. The woman was too graceful, too elegant, and far too haughty for her tastes. She was sure that in return Megumi found her too naive, temperamental, and unfeminine. But beggars couldn't be choosers and right now Kaoru needed every kind of help that she could get.

"Is Yahiko awake?" She thus asked, deciding to let Megumi's comment slide. Immediately the _kitsune_ frowned, always so careful to guard her patient, but nevertheless nodded. Yahiko would have a fit if he wouldn't be able to say goodbye after all.

"I just finished saying goodbye," Sanosuke told her, sliding open the door to the living room invitingly but there was a hint of apology in his grin as he added, "He looks like he's ready to faint though. Not quite sure if ya can linger too long."

"We need to get going, anyway," Kaoru answered, straightening her spine to emphasise her determination. Neither men had questioned her sudden change of heart but she knew that it still made them uneasy at times. As if afraid she'd turn around with a change of heart and part of her really didn't blame them for it.

"We can wait until you're ready, so we can," Kenshin assured her but Kaoru ignored him and chose to step into the living room instead.

She wasn't quite sure whether she was still as afraid of the demon as she had been after he had killed those _hibagon _but he still made her uneasy. Every single night they had spent here; Kenshin had slept near her bed with his hands resting on his sword. He was always gone by the time she woke up but his presence alone made her restless enough to wake several times during the night and see him sitting there.

When Kaoru stepped into the room, Yahiko was still sitting up in his bed with a determined tilt to his stubborn jaw. She needed to take only one look at him to see that Sano hadn't been overreacting. Yahiko was pale, swaying where he sat and his slow blinks told her that he was fighting against sleep every step of the way. Feeling very much like an over protective sister, Kaoru found she had to swallow a lump in her throat before she could offer him a proper smile.

"Well you're looking better," She took a seat on the edge of his bed as she said it. Under the guise of smoothing back his stubborn hair, she gently pushed Yahiko back towards the bed. Naturally her stubborn apprentice refused.

"Ugly, you'd better hurry up and come back," The _tanuki_ growled at her, "Or I'm gonna come down there personally to haul ya sorry ass back."

Yahiko hadn't made much of a fuss about her leaving him behind, a true testament to the severity of his injuries, but Kaoru knew that it bothered him. She looked down at her student and once again saw the boy who had appeared on her doorstep, hands curled into fists.

_I can't come to classes anymore, Ugly._

She had become his security, his home, that day.

"Temper, temper," She muttered but offered him a smile anyway, "Well…I guess I've got no choice then. But you better train while I'm away. Once I'm back we'll have to work hard to make up for closing the dojo temporarily and don't think I'll let you slack off!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Answered and his voice lacked the bite of his usual retorts and one of his eyes stuck stubbornly closed. Gently she nudged him back against the bed again and this time Yahiko didn't have the strength to refuse.

"I better not hear anything bad from Megumi once I get back," She told him in her teacher's voice but her frown softened as she pulled his blanket up to carefully tuck him in. Yahiko's hand came up from under the blanket to grasp at hers and she looked up to meet his eyes, dark and worried. She didn't have to dig deep to muster another encouraging smile, not when he needed it that badly.

"Don't worry. We'll go home soon. Together."

It was the promise of home that finally let Yahiko sink into a deep magic fuelled sleep but Kaoru couldn't immediately get herself to walk away.

Just how likely was it that she would be able to keep that promise?

* * *

"Right, I'm ready," Kaoru announced herself, checking one last time whether the sleeping bag attached to her lower back wasn't too loose.

A soft bag slung over her shoulder held a change of clothes and some provisions but nothing heavy. The men had insisted on bringing the pots and would have carried even more for her if she hadn't sent them a telling glare that shut them up. That and her _bokken_ were the only items she was bringing and not for the first time she worried about the lack of supplies. She had to trust the more experienced travellers, however, and comforted herself with the thought that it was only a few days walk, not weeks.

Kenshin had attached his sleeping back in a similar fashion but it rested on top of another soft bag that held his other provisions as well. He had made it clear that he wanted nothing to hinder his movements and refused to wear any kind of bag that would be slung from his shoulders. Not to mention that he seemed remarkably unconcerned about the lack of supplies in the first place. Instead he had polished his swords, now resting securely on his left hip, and discussed with Sano where they would go once they arrived into Kyoto.

"Well let's go then," Sano yawned more than spoke, not quite used to rising as early as they had risen today. The sun was barely up but that meant that they would make good headway. Both men had been patiently waiting in the store but they were smart enough to step away from the items they were examining when Megumi appeared into the store together with Kaoru.

"Thank you, Megumi-dono," Kenshin, who was so much more aware of his manners than Sano, spoke as he bowed respectfully to the _kitsune. _"This one will not forget what you've done for us."

Was that a contract between demons? As far as Kaoru was able to judge, having a _namahage _on your side would be useful for any demon. But she wasn't quite sure whether Kenshin's words qualified as a promise.

"Not at all," Megumi bowed back, "Please focus all of your efforts into defeating Shishio. For all of us."

"No worries, Fox! We'll be back before you can miss us," Sano boasted, finding some of his usual energy despite the hour and held open the door to the shop.

All that was left to do for Kaoru was to straighten her spine, square her shoulders, and step out into the world.


	6. The Karura

**Author's note: I'm sorry for the very, very long delay. School was amazingly hectic and it resulted in me having the biggest writer's block of my life. I should be back on track now and it's my intention to post a new chapter every week and a half or so, like I did in the beginning. I sincerely apologize to anyone who was waiting for this chapter for you should not have to have waited as long as you did. **

**For those who want to know about the story, and how long it should be before the new chapter is up and so on, I've created a tumblr: closetromanticsockpuppet . tumblr . com. Which I will update more frequently than, say, my profile.**

**I'm aware that every single chapter seems to hold typo's that I have missed. This, and the fact that I sort of hate editing, made me realize that I might be in need of a Beta. If anyone is interested, please pm me so that we can figure something out.**

**Also: Special shout out to a certain someone whose pm's kept me going. You know who you are. **

**Now without further ado:**

**.**

**.**

**Chapter six: the ****Karura.**

**.**

_Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.__ - __Helen Keller_

_._

It was hot. Throat aching, feet dragging, sweat pouringly hot.

Kenshin had already offered to share his water with her twice today and predictably she refused both times. Sano, just as predictably, decided that she could walk just fine powered by her own water alone: never mind that she emptied it hours ago. So here she was, with a parched throat and with her own stubbornness to thank for it

It didn't help that they would soon be facing the next part of their journey. Apparently there were mountains to climb and forests to conquer and Kaoru could not even imagine what else might be awaiting them. All she had been told was that they would have to travel through the forest for a few days before Kyoto would even be on the horizon. And that she would have to do this with nothing to support her but the few supplies she picked up in a nearby village hours ago.

Kaoru suspected that this was one of these days that Sano forgot that she was humans, as was becoming increasingly apparent to her, were nowhere near a demon's league. Of course she had heard the stories, had known that Sano always left with nothing but the clothes on his back, but it was an entirely different matter to actually see and live it.

Sano and Kenshin were extraordinarily fast, so they had deer or rabbit almost every night cooked in the pots and pans Kaoru had insisted on bringing. She had the feeling that they complied and cooked using her tools to please her as a woman. For she had a feeling neither of the men would've minded tearing the flesh right off a wooden spit. And then there was the matter of how they always seemed to know where to find fresh drinkable water. Magic could explain that but that still did not quite explain how it was that she ran through her water at almost twice the rate the men did.

A fact that Sano apparently failed to notice.

Then again, something told her that he might just be annoyed with her cold-shouldering his friend; for that was what she had been doing ever since they left the fox's doorstep. She still didn't know how to handle the _namahage _now that he was no longer held captive by his mirror. True, the red-head had been perfectly friendly and polite, not even once retorting to her many snappish remarks, but she could not quite get rid of the image of him covered in blood.

It didn't help that when she woke up at night that she would see him sitting close to the foot of her sleeping bag.

Every night without fail Kenshin had been her silent guardian, one sword resting against his shoulder the other put on the ground besides him, and kept a close eye on the shadows surrounding them. Kaoru supposed that it ought to make her feel safe but all it did was make her uncomfortably aware of the fact that he had still not said anything about the end of his deal. Nor had he said anything about how long he was supposed to protect her. If she was honest with herself, she had to admit that she was afraid to ask.

Kaoru sighed and reached up to tighten her ponytail, forcing new determination in her step. The forest, after all, was bound to at least be a little cooler with the shade provided by the many trees. And there was simply no way for her pride to surrender to the puny demands of her body just yet let alone actually accept Kenshin's kindness.

"Kaoru-dono," As if summoned by her thoughts the red head was yet again at her side, worry in the crinkle of his brow but kindness persisting in his smile, "This one does not need his water that badly, so he does not. It would be best if Kaoru-dono would take some of it, that is. This one could not help but notice that Kaoru-dono is lagging behind-"

"I'm _fine_, Kenshin," Kaoru stubbornly cut through him ignoring how her voice was already cracking with exhaustion.

But she could not ignore that Sano was already several paces ahead of her, hands deep in his pockets and whistling merrily and that Kenshin had slowed down to let her catch up. Frustrated by the two men in general, Kaoru forced her tired feet to catch up with her childhood friend. She did not look back, would not let herself catch the expression on Kenshin's face as she did so.

Once she drew level with him, Sano took one look over his shoulder to see what she had refused to and uttered a frustrated sigh. The look he then sent to her was unusually stern.

"Are ya pickin' on Kenshin again?" He asked and it was easy to detect just a hint of impatience in his voice.

"I'm not _picking_ on him," Kaoru answered, stung, and reached up to hold the strap of her bag with more force than was necessary. It was satisfying to think of a certain rooster in her grip as she did so, "I'm just…not his friend, that's all."

"He's bein' nice ya know," Sano reminded her, "Givin' ya water an' everything."

"Yeah, unlike a certain someone," Kaoru snapped, not above guilt tripping her friend. Sano, however, only send her another dark glare and quite suddenly the sword instructor was aware how much taller than her he was.

"If ya too good for Kenshin's water ya too good for mine," He snapped before taking another look over his shoulder. Kaoru refused to copy him but she could guess what kind of expression Kenshin carried when Sano's darkened.

"Alright I'm done, I've had enough. If he makes that damned puppy-dog look _one_ more time-" He started but his choice of words had Kaoru raising an eyebrow.

"Puppy…dog…look?"

"Yeah, you know those kind of dogs that just look helpless and sad no matter what's going on? All droopy eyed..." Sano trailed off, gesturing in the air as if that could somehow make his point clearer. But his gesturing only made the sword instructor more confused because none of his moves reminded her of a dog. And she still wasn't sure how they went from talking about _Kenshin_ to talking about _puppies _in the first place.

"I don't under-"

"Look, that's not the point," Sano snapped and Kaoru had the feeling that their deviation from the original conversation embarrassed him. In either case he was quick to continue, "The point is: he's not the bad guy, alright? He didn't _make_ you make that deal with him."

Sano sighed, his shoulders slumping and a wry grin curled his lips as he added, "I did. Ya gotta stop finding excuses to hate him."

"I know, I know it's not fair," In her mind she saw again how gentle Kenshin's hold had been on her apprentice and the memory of how he helped her cook was suddenly much more persistent, " I do! But he's got such _speed…_"

"Yeah, and when he goes all narrowed eyed the blood in your veins freeze over. I know. But Kenshin's a good guy, ya know? Ya ain't even giving him a chance. I don't remember ya ever bein' that scared of _me_, what'cha cold shouldering him for?" Sano stuffed his fists a little deeper in his pockets and huffed impatiently before he continued, "And besides making this whole trip awkward as hell, it's also causing him to look like one of those damned puppy dogs every time ya ain't looking."

Kaoru didn't know what to say to that. Not because she still hadn't caught on to Sano's comparison but because she realized that there was a fine line to be walked. She did not feel as if she should welcome Kenshin, who still had so much of her fate in his hands, with open arms.

But Sano did have a point that Kenshin had done everything he could to make her open up to him, still did. Did he really deserve this hostility? And perhaps more importantly; wasn't it in her best interest that Kenshin _liked_ her, considering their contract?

"So when we make camp I'm gonna go and gather some wood for our fire," Sano said in his best I'm-being-a-reasonable-adult-here-voice and probably making the most of her moment of doubt. Thick as his skull was, her childhood friend did know her well after all, "And when I get back ya two better be getting' along. At least enough that ya stop freaking jumping every time he turns his head and he stops looking like a kicked puppy."

"I.."

"Alright?"

"Sano you can't expect me to-"

"_Alright?"_

"…fine."

"That's my girl." Sano grinned his familiar boisterous grin again and put his hand on her shoulder, just a tad more forcefully than was comfortable, like an older brother would, "And who knows? You might grow to genuinely like him far more than you expected you might."

Kaoru was saved a reply by the arrival of the red-head they had been talking about. Their conversation shifted to what their plan for the day was. Since it was still early, Kenshin figured they would be able to make a good way into the forest before having to set up camp. Sano agreed and all Kaoru could do was hoist her bag and sigh her compliance.

When Kenshin offered his water to her again she still did not take it but she did bother to make her refusal less hostile. And when the rooster sighed in answer to this she pretended not to hear: she would not let him force her to do anything she was not ready for.

* * *

Kaoru could tell that something was different the moment they crossed the border between forest and civilisation.

At first she couldn't quite put her finger on it and she needed a few minutes to watch her companions to determine what gave it away. For at first glance Sano seemed as loud and boisterous as ever and Kenshin seemed his usual quiet, calm self. It was the senses honed by her swordsmanship, the instincts she developed under the care of her father, that told her that there was something different, something sharper, about the men.

Sano's grin looked just a tad too wild, like a dog sniffing the air for prey, and his eyes seemed to be just a shade darker. Then, while they were walking, he checked the bandages around his knuckles so naturally he seemed somewhat unaware of it. Carefully, almost lovingly, he rearranged the strips of cloth to fully cover his knuckles even as he continued his loud conversation, as if everything remained peaceful if only he was only loud enough.

Just like Sano, it was difficult at first to determine what gave Kenshin's tension away. There was simply an aura of danger around him, something that made his shoulders seem less slight and put his scar into relief. Then finally, she caught his eyes narrowing with the focus of a swordsman and immediately she stopped walking. She ignored Sano's not-so-quiet curse as he all but stumbled into her and instead put her hands on her hips so that she could frown at him and Kenshin equally.

"What is it?" She asked, feeling like there was no point in beating around the bush, "Something's going on, don't tell me there isn't. Something is setting you guys on edge."

"Well, Missy, it's not so much as setting us on edge…" Sano started, scratching the back of his neck and sharing a look with Kenshin. Apparently taking the way he trailed of as a sign the red-head smiled his usual friendly, calm, smile and continued, "But it is wise to be on one's guard, so it is."

"Why?" Kaoru asked and even she could hear the suspicion and tension in her voice. Not too surprising, she rather thought, considering the struggle she had been through; most of it without the necessary information.

"There are jus' all kinds of demons drawn to the forest, Missy," Sano answered patiently but now made no longer any pretence and began to roll his shoulders to loosen them. She had seen him do so before, usually when he expected a brawl in the nearby future, "Bit of a sanctuary for them, since they're away from the humans, ya know? Less likely to run into a monk or some such in the forest."

"Most of them are harmless, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin was quick to assure her, closing his eyes as his smile widened, "And in either case they can sense one's presence, so they can. It's unlikely they'll want to attack a human when a _namahage _ is nearby, that is."

"A human?" Kaoru could read between the lines, "You mean that you wouldn't be so much on your guard if I hadn't been with you guys."

"It's just typical demon behaviour, Missy," Sano reassured her, "We're not trying to insult you. But there are demons out there drawn to humans. Unable to resist teasing them, ya know?"

Kaoru did know. Every human had heard the stories and in either case, she had read what she could of her father's books while preparing for this trip. There were many stories about demons such as the _Uma-no-ashi__, _a horse's leg dangling from the tree, which seemed to have no other purpose than to scare and kick human passersby.

Yes, demons drew to mountains and forests to get away from civilisation but it was an entirely different matter when it was _one_ single human. Generally humans were only as strong as their numbers, after all.

"Alright, so…" Kaoru relented and automatically checked whether her _bokken_ would be easily drawn, "How do you want to continue, then?"

She had expected the men to want to form a single line, or perhaps prefer that she would already draw her wooden sword. But Sano merely grinned and turned to continue walking uphill as they had been for a while now.

"We'll jus' continue as we are. If there's danger we'll sense it before it can come anywhere near us," The rooster easily reassured her and despite the sharpness of his grin, he did look relaxed as he continued his journey.

Resigned Kaoru moved to join his side but she nevertheless noticed that Kenshin let himself fall back. Despite of what Sano had said, it seemed that the red-head preferred to watch their backs.

* * *

During their idle conversations, mostly consisting of Sano's numerous adventures in forests like this one, Kaoru allowed herself to enjoy her surroundings. She had not travelled much in her lifetime, having always been so busy with her father's dojo and his teachings. The furthest she had come had been to a nearby town and in between that town and her own there had been nothing to gaze at but the flat lands of farmers.

Now, it seemed like there was far too much to gaze at. The forest around them was alive with creatures, rustling branches and trees far taller than anything she had ever seen. Bamboo grew where trees could not, and when not even the sturdy bamboo could grow: moss could. Around her there seemed to be all the shades of green and brown and even yellow and if she just looked hard enough there were other colours hidden in their midst. Flowers she had only seen in market stalls grew freely and sometimes she could swear she could hear the gentle falling water of a mountain stream.

Kaoru learned that she liked nature. Although there was still the fact that several times she was forced to stop to pick bugs or spider webs from her hair, much to Sano's amusement. She wasn't even surprised to realize that, though his hair was as long as her own, Kenshin never had to. Nevertheless she didn't let this damper her spirits.

They continued like this for several hours and it wasn't long before Kaoru let Sano do all the talking. Her sandaled feet sunk deep into the soft forest's floor and somehow that made her step feel all the more heavy. Her thighs burned, strained by the continuous slope of the mountain, and sweat was starting to stick her clothes to her skin. Despite being in excellent condition, her daily training having made sure of that, Kaoru was soon short of breath.

She supposed the heat could be blamed, for the shade of the forest could only protect them so far. And heat, after all, could drain energy from the body far more effectively than anything else she knew.

One thing that was clear was why humans would seem like a good prey in the mountains. Kenshin and Sano were barely even slowing their pace, as if the continuous uphill pace did not faze them at all. Kaoru, meanwhile, was increasingly failing to notice their beautiful surroundings and forced to focus on just moving forward. Used to flat lands as she was, it was a tiring experience to have to continuously climb a mountain.

In fact, she became so focussed on putting one foot in front of the other that she was startled to discover the wicked sign so close to her face: she had almost walked straight into Sano's back. The moment she looked up she discovered why he had come to a halt.

Amidst the soft natural greens and browns and yellow was a startling light grey that was far too flat to be made by nature. What seemed to be a human-made wall blocked their path, tall and ominously looking like the justice buildings she had never liked to look at back home. It stretched far to either side of them, far enough that she estimated that walking around it would take them fifteen minutes at least. In fact, it was quite hard to make out where exactly it ended for her imagination was playing with her.

Surely the wall wasn't growing as she watched?

She wanted to point out what an odd place for a wall it was (perhaps they had stumbled upon private property?) when the words died in her throat. When she had turned to her companions she discovered that both men had gone dangerously still in that manner that she had seen hunting cats have. Sano's dark eyes were scanning the wall restlessly, as if daring it to reveal it's secret. Kenshin meanwhile had calmly rested his hand upon his sword and just as with any true swordsman this was a threat in itself. She wasn't even surprised to learn that his expression hardly changed.

"What are you-" Kaoru started but Sano interrupted her.

"What'dya reckon? _Nurikabe_?" He asked casually, turning to Kenshin who nodded.

"_Nurikabe_?" Kaoru repeated and had the sense to draw her wooden sword, "You mean this is a demon? Is it dangerous?"

"Not really," Sano replied thoughtfully, still frowning at the stone before him, "Inconvenient, though…"

"And it seems odd," Kenshin quietly stated and Kaoru was surprised to find that his eyes weren't on the wall-like demon before him. Instead he was scanning their environment, taking in every detail, "That it would decide to lie itself here, that it does."

"Well, only one way to find out," Sano casually remarked, cracking his knuckles and grinning a grin that usually meant a fight was about to happen. Sure enough he drew back his fist and stepped forward, putting his entire weight into a punch that he landed squarely in the middle of the wall.

Kaoru winced, expecting the rooster to crack his knuckles open on the rough stone, but to her surprise the wall did not meet his punch with hard stone. Instead it moved along just enough to lightly dent, taking in the force of Sano's blow but distributing it equally. When Sano straightened both his fist as the wall was in perfect shape.

It opened his eyes.

Out of instinct Kaoru stepped back and raised her sword, tightening her jaw as she stared at one of three massive eyes that seemed to appear out of nowhere. She had not seen the slits that made its eyelids and she could still not quite see them clearly now. Only when one of the three eyes blinked could she see the thin sliver of grey stone that covered the large glossy orbs.

The wall was _looking at them._ Unfortunately, Kaoru found that this did not shock her as much as it would have done not so long ago: the unfortunate side-effect of living with demons.

"That wasn't quite the spot," Said a new, low and deep, voice, "As expected of a _basan. _But I applaud you for trying."

Again she raised her sword, the wood quite steady in her hands, but this time Kenshin moved with her. In a movement that was far too natural for comfort, he took steps forward to partially shield her from this new stranger; his fingers curled around the hilt of one of his swords. He didn't seem surprised to find a new person looking down at them: as if he had expected this man to reveal his presence. Perhaps normally this would've annoyed her, her stubborn pride as dominant as always, but something about this new appearance frightened her enough to hold her tongue and silently accept Kenshin's protection.

The owner of that voice was the biggest man she had ever seen.

Standing casually upon the wall that stretched so unnaturally in this forest was a man whose chest seemed to have been hewed from stone. Massive arms were crossed casually over this broad chest, easily revealed by a shirt that had no sleeves. Like Sano, his feet and hands were bound in bandages although his ran further, covering his knees and elbows.

He had dark circles around his eyes and Kaoru could not stop herself from comparing it to a living skull. It was, she could not help but think, as if a vengeful spirit of the dead itself was speaking to her.

His face was blank and his eyes were dark in a way that was very unlike those of Sano. Her childhood friend had brown eyes that were warm and friendly, despite his temper. This man had eyes that belonged to a bird of prey: cold, calculating and unnervingly calm. Yet, though she could not put her finger on what made her think this, there was something about that calm look of this man that said he was capable of kindness.

Just not to her, judging from the way his stare kept lingering on her even though it was not her who he had spoken to. Stubbornly Kaoru raised her wooden sword just a little, if only to prove that she was not afraid.

"Anji," Sano said and Kaoru had a suspicion that she was not alone in noticing where the man's eyes had lingered, "Yukyuzan Anji, I didn't expect to see ya here."

Kaoru really wished her childhood friend dropped his grin. There was something far too feral about it and it could only mean that bad things were to come. If not just because his look was bordering on offensive. However, Anji only shifted his gaze from her to the rooster and she was surprised to see that the corner of his mouth tilted up, ever so slightly.

"Sagara Sanosuke," He responded in his low voice, "I am not surprised to meet you here. Shishio had said that you would be with them."

At the mention of _Shishio _both men tensed noticeably and Kaoru with them. Whoever this man was, and though the rooster seemed to know him, he was not here as their friend. Yet somehow that did not deter him from having a conversation from the top of that wall, looking down on them as calmly as if they were nothing but unexpected visitors.

"Sano," Kaoru started and found that her voice was still surprisingly calm, though perhaps with a hint of a tremor in it, "Do you know this man?"

"Yeah…" Sanosuke replied, his voice low and casual but his grin far too sharp, "I've run into him a couple of times. He helped me out a little. But something tells me he might not be in the mood to help us now,"

"Helping you with your demon fire was supposed to help you on your way to good, _basan._ I am disappointed to find that this is not the case," Anji replied and though he spoke lightly, there was danger in the way he flexed his fingers.

"Like you're one to talk," Sano's eyes were glittering and Kaoru was reminded of a rooster puffing up its feathers in preparation of a fight, "what's a _karura _like you doin' with the likes of Shishio, anyway?"

_Karura:_ at least that explained why this man preferred his high spot.

It was one of the last demons Kaoru had read about although it was one that stuck out the most because of its similarity to the so familiar _basan. _Said to be a creature with a human torso and a bird-like head, the _karura_ was known for its tendency to feed on serpents and even dragons. Like the _basan_ it was said to breathe fire but it was not compared to a harmless bird like a chicken. Instead the _karura _ was said to be enormous and only lenient to the dragons that were converted to the Buddhist teaching.

Indeed , Anji was living proof that the _karura _was compared to a bird of prey far more easily than the domestic chicken. And though she suspected that the _karura _did not breathe fire anymore than her friend did the rumours at least did have one thing right: the man was massive.

"I wish to eradicate evil from within this world. However, I have learned that evil cannot be banished without the necessary violence. And…" The eagle-like gaze of the _karura_ shifted towards the sword instructor yet again, "…sacrifice."

Kenshin stepped in front of Kaoru, blocking Anji's field of vision, and Kaoru was surprised to learn that she had almost forgotten that the _namahage _was there at all. Strange, how a bigger threat could suddenly make her feel relieved by the air of danger the red-head seemed to radiate rather than afraid. Kenshin had not bothered to open his mouth but something told Kaoru that the moment of talking would soon be over. His eyes were gold, narrowed into slits, and there was a hard edge in the way he set his mouth.

It wasn't just Kenshin however, for Sano had straightened his jacket and every muscle in his body seemed to tense. She thought it was prudent to shift her weight to the front of her feet, ready to spring into action should the need arise. Whatever would happen, it would happen soon.

"Speakin' in riddles again, aren't ya?" Sano huffed before spitting on the floor. He was moving his weight from one foot to the other, like a restless hound about to be released from its chain, "But I can tell at least this much: ya ain't lettin' us pass without a fight."

"I am sorry to do this," Anji spoke again and over the top of Kenshin's red head Kaoru could see his stare boring into hers. He was talking only to her now, "But sometimes, for the better of this world, one must do the necessary evil."

Kaoru looked into Anji's eyes and believed him. Whatever this man was sent to do: he regretted doing it.

"**Akurojin-no-hi**," The _karura_ spoke in a voice that was unlike any she had ever heard. It was still his but deeper, a sound that resonated inside her chest and out and she thought that she felt the forest respond. A shiver, like a sudden gust of wind, passed through the forest from behind the monk, summoned by his call.

Something was roaring.

A sucking, grumbling sound that Kaoru could not place, though it was familiar to her, slowly swelled in volume as if it were a living being coming closer. Sure enough, it was rustling trees and swaying their branches, clearly marking its path towards the demons and human. Whatever Anji had called forth: it was approaching fast.

Sano did not wait for it to reach them. With a flick of his wrist his right hand became encased in the ghostly blue fire that could only be summoned by demon magic. Her friend did not use his ability often but Kaoru had no time to admire the swirling flames around his hand, creeping up towards his elbow.

Sano was moving.

The _basan_ jumped, fist raised and eyes locked on Anji, in a movement no human could dream of recreating. Sano was grinning but there was a look of concentration in his eyes and determination in his raised fist. Whatever support the man might have given Sano in the past, her childhood friend had no reservations about quite literally jumping into a fight with him.

But then, that was Sano for you. Fights were rarely personal for the hot-heated rooster.

Anji's eyes did not leave Kaoru's face, however, and just before her childhood friend reached him he lifted his hand in her direction. Whatever he did, the effects were not immediate and his hand dropped quickly back to his side. She could just see him turning to meet her friend, blue flames bursting to life and crawling over both Anji's arms and reaching all the way to his shoulders, when her world suddenly consisted of the odd red of Kenshin's kimono.

"This one will leave this fight to you, Sano."

Blank shock made her hold onto his shoulder and her _bokken_ as she tried to figure out what just happened. Sano and Anji were clashing, she could hear the dull sound of two forces meeting before she struggled to see over the _namahage's_ shoulder. She could only make out glimpses of them but she could see that Anji had changed; calling forth a demonic fire that was so like that of Sano only so much, much more. It shaped in the form of a giant bird, encasing his entire upper body and roaring with a heat she imagined she could feel even now.

Not that it was possible now that there was an increasingly long distance between them: she had never travelled with such speed before. Trees passed them on either side with enough speed to make her dizzy, her hair danced free and wildly, tossed side to side by sharp movements of her body that she could not control. She only caught flashes of bamboo, of flowers, before they were passing it. Already the rooster looked frighteningly small with the distance put between them.

"Kenshin, what-"

Spilling out over the wall around the two fighting demons was a white substance that Kaoru struggled to identify. The closest she came would be fire, white fire, eating at the trees and the forest floor and yet leaving no ashes behind. It twirled and danced more like mist before turning back into fire again and roared like a tiger freshly released from its cage. That was the sound that she had struggled to identify before: the roar of fierce flames.

And they were running from it.

"Kenshin!" Panic was beginning to set in, the reality of what was happening dawning on the sword instructor. Kenshin was carrying her, carrying her away from her childhood friend fighting a demon who could, by the looks of it, quite possibly be stronger than him, "Kenshin! Wait! Stop!"

"Kaoru-dono," It was startling to hear his voice so close to her ear but familiar in its steadiness. If she would've dared to look away from the glimpses of the fight she could still get over Kenshin's shoulder, Kaoru was sure she would've seen that the _namahage_'s expression was as calm as his voice. "We have no choice, so we haven't. We must trust this fight to Sano, so we do."

"No, you can't do this! You can't go and make decisions for me again-" She started and her voice cracked. Familiar panic was taking over, the feeling of helplessness that she had when her student lay bleeding on the ground. Sano was her childhood friend and not matter how annoying he could be, the thought of losing him was terrifying.

"This one has sworn to protect Kaoru-dono, so he has," Kenshin interrupted calmly, his voice low and steady and a large contrast to her own. It did not waver even though the sword instructor was squirming in his hold now, fighting to break it. The fact that she couldn't only fuelled her fear.

"By letting my friend alone to fight of a _karura_?! Kenshin I'm serious let's go back-"

"It is essential that Kaoru-dono does not touch that fire, that it is. This one is sorry but we cannot go back."

Kaoru stopped her squirming long enough to study Kenshin's expression, ignoring how uncomfortably close he was. The red head didn't look at her but kept his gaze steady on the path before him and only now that she stopped to look at him did she see that it cost him to do so. His jaw was tight; his brow furrowed in concentration and something about the way he was holding her told her that he was holding onto his self-control with it.

Just like before, back at the place of the fox, there was a sense of resignation to the demon. He knew this was the choice he had to take and he would not be swayed to do differently.

She did not like this. She didn't want this. Again she felt everything in her resist to the idea of being drawn into a fate she had not asked for. But she was past the point of complaining, she was no longer in a fox's home deciding about what to do. Time for panic, for hysteria or even just plain doubt was long gone. If only she was forced to: she had to trust Kenshin's judgement.

So she clawed at the fabric of his _kimono_, looking over Kenshin's shoulder at the fire still chasing them and forced her concern about her health to turn into worried about her friend. Sano was a total idiot but if something happened to him…

"Sano will be fine, so he will, Kaoro-dono. He will join us before we even reach Kyoto, this one is certain of that."

Something about Kenshin's steady voice made her want to believe him. It eased some of the worry that was constricting her throat with panic and making it hard to think. Sano and Kenshin were friends, weren't they? She wanted to believe that the red-head had not turned away from aiding Sano in a fight if he could help it.

"Why? Why are we running?" Kaoru asked and hated her voice for sounding so small.

"This one did not recognise the name, so he did not. But this one recognises the look of the white flames. They will make Kaoru-dono deathly ill if she touches them, so they will," Kenshin replied and finally his golden eyes looked away from the forest before him to meet her gaze, "This one is sorry."

Kaoru didn't know what to make of his expression, of her situation, of _their_ situation. All she knew was that she did not like what was happening but that there was little she could do.

The fire did not just force her to run but bound Kenshin to run with her. It forced them to separate from Sano, letting him face Anji on his own. He might have helped Sano in the past but any man that sided with Shishio was bound to be predictable. Something about the hard edge to his expression had Kaoru convinced that he would not hesitate to kill the rooster, if it were for the 'greater good'. Whatever that meant.

And then there was the situation that she was in herself. Panic was still clawing at her throat, despite her fighting it and worry was constricting her heart. She was trained to be the sword that protects, leaving Sano went against every single instinct she had. Undeniably, however, the fire was tracing their path with a precision that told her that she was its prey. Just the sight of it set her on edge now that she knew what it could do.

All at the same time being carried by the red headed demon both calmed and set her on edge. She didn't like how his hands pressed her gently but firmly against his chest. How one arm supported her legs and the other her upper torso as if she were some damsel in distress. She was not a damsel, she was a woman born in a family of samurai.

She was a woman born to fight and to be treated as if she were fragile rubbed her in all the wrong ways. Just because she was _human _did not have to mean that she was _weak_. She could not stop herself from wondering whether Kenshin would've hesitated about carrying her if she had been a man. And yet it was undeniable that she had already drawn comfort from the steadiness of his character.

"Isn't there anything we can do? If we can just kill the flames before the fight is over we still might be able to help him out!"

"This one is not aware of any way to counter this fire, Kaoru-dono. This one has only heard that it will burn itself out eventually but this one is unsure of how long that will take, that I am."

"Well then at least let me run on my own," She said and scowled when she caught Kenshin's brief look, telling her that he doubted that she would not run straight back to help her friend, "Look, I understand why we have to run. I can't touch that fire; I get that, but at least let me run with you. I'm not helpless!"

"The fire is only gaining speed, so it is," Kenshin told her and something in his calm tones reminded her of her father. Of the way he had spoken when he was uncertain of the outcome of a fight. Calm, yes, but with tense worry subtly straining his voice, "This one will have to work hard to outrun it. Kaoru-dono is an admirable human, so she is, but still a human. No human could hope to outrun this fire, that is."

Something told her that Kenshin was not even sure whether _he_ could.

Frightened into silence as she was, the roar of the fire seemed all the more loud to Kaoru's ears. As such, it took a moment for her to realize that it wasn't just the fire making all that noise. As a particular thick tree forced Kenshin to redirect their path, bringing them closer to the wall-like demon, she caught glimpse of grey stone ever expanding. Trees, bushes, thick undergrowth were all no match against the grey stone that broke through them like a panicking horse.

The _nurikabe_ was blocking them from climbing higher up the mountain, forcing Kenshin to run over forest floor that was constantly at an angle.

Kaoru would've at least sprained her ankle by now. She realized that but it still felt wrong to hold onto Kenshin and do nothing, putting her life and fate in his hands as they ran from the white fire that threatened to make her ill. Part of her was wondering whether it'd be better to let it catch her altogether and find a cure in the next town…

"Kaoru-dono," Kenshin interrupted her thoughts, "This one will have to put you down in a few moments. This nurikabe is blocking us from Kyoto, that is. And this one believes that the fire will burn out faster if we travel uphill."

"Can you…can you make it go away?" Kaoru had to ask, remembering how Sano's fist had not even put a dent in the wall.

"It's a matter of striking it at the right place, so it is,"

"I see."

"Kaoru-dono, you must permit this one to carry you after, so you must. This one cannot permit Kaoru-dono to come to harm," Kenshin insisted and Kaoru stole another glance over his shoulder at the fire that was chasing them.

She had been fighting the urge to look back to the ghostly flames because they seemed awfully appealing to her, even though she knew it would do her harm. Sometimes, in the brief spell between the trees the _nurikabe_ was hitting, she could swear she heard it whisper to her. Oddly seductive, hissing whispers that tried to lure her in and she no longer needed to just take Kenshin's word that this white fire was bad for her. Pure instinct alone finally had her convinced.

"If it will put Kaoru-dono at ease, this one can carry her on his back instead, so I can," Kenshin added when she was silent for too long and Kaoru nodded her consent.

Kenshin's speed increased and Kaoru knew that he wanted to put more distance between them and the fire to allow for that moment where he would have to stop. It was unnerving to realize that the distance was not increasing as fast as it ought to have been. The red-head had been right: the fire's speed was increasing. And although it did not burn the forest, although it left nothing but a ghost of a presence behind, she could still feel the heat of it.

The moment of stopping came quite suddenly to Kaoru, who gasped as Kenshin slowed his pace and quickly put her down.

Stumbling a little, feeling as if half of her body was still travelling faster than it truly was, she watched as Kenshin pulled out one of his swords. It was not the sword he used to kill the _hibagon_ what seemed like ages ago. In fact, there was something wrong about the way it reflected the light but before the sword instructor could put her finger on it, the _namahage_ had already struck. He did not aim for the middle like Sanosuke had but instead directed his attention to the lower left part. The wall flickered in and out of existence and a grumble of protest was uttered.

Kaoru, however, had other thing so n her mind.

Suddenly realizing how the heat was increasing, she turned to see the fire already licking the base of a tree not too far from her. She wanted to run but something had frozen her body, weighing it down until even her eyelids felt heavy. Whispers made her ears ring even though she could not hear what they were saying.

"K-Kenshin," She uttered, but the spell of the fire would not put the proper note of panic in her voice. The white flames crawled towards her, brushing over plants and roots like the hands of playful children. The sword instructor knew she had to move, she willed her body to move, but her knees were already shaking.

"K…K…" She tried again before, will the stubborn will she was known for, she finally managed to raise her voice, "_Kenshin!_"

He was there, all red and gold and directing her hands to hold onto the fabric covering his shoulders. She clung on, first weakly, as he locked his hands behind her knees and hoisted her onto his back. Then, she clung onto him more strongly as life seemed to wash back into her body the moment they stepped away from the fire.

The wall was gone. Whether it had perished or simply retreated Kaoru did not know and she could not care. The brush with that fire made it clear that there was only one thing to focus on. As if she could somehow shield herself form the lure of the white flame, she hid her face against the _namahage's_ shoulder and closed her eyes.

She didn't know how long they ran, her hiding like a child and him running as if her weight was nothing, but it was an uncomfortable experience.

Kenshin's hips dug into her legs, harder when the forest's floor became particularly uneven, and his pace didn't allow for comfort so that her body kept being thrown off balance. Sometimes a particularly rough part would force him to lift his legs enough so that she could feel the guard of his swords dig uncomfortably into the soft flesh of her leg. It was bound to leave bruises but she did not even let herself gasp in pain. Instead she tried to be an easy weight to carry, holding onto his shoulders and keeping her body tensed to allow her weight to be distributed evenly.

The heat of the fire was a constant threat pressing against her back and it wasn't long before Kenshin wasn't the only one who was sweating. To the demon's credit, his breath hardly sped up but Kaoru could tell that he was beginning to tire of running as long as he did. She could only hope that the fire would give up before Kenshin did.

Neither of them spoke.

Then, finally, the heat pressing against her back began to fade. Kenshin didn't let his pace slow immediately and he didn't look away from what lay ahead when he spoke. Kaoru was glad he didn't, they had already been uncomfortably close to trees in moments of exhaustion.

"Kaoru-dono, can you look back? The fire…"

Feeling as if she was riding a half-wild horse, Kaoru tightened her hold on Kenshin and slowly dared to look over her shoulder, hating how she had to twist her upper body away when she did so. The white flames were no longer moving, stopping in a neat line as if an invincible barrier was holding it back.

"It's stopped!" Kaoru couldn't hide her surprise, "I-I think we're going to be okay!"

"I'm glad," Kenshin sighed and quite suddenly she wondered just how tired he was.

However he did not stop but continued in a slightly slower pace. Eager to get as much distance between her and the fire as she could, Kaoru let him without complaint. It wasn't until the slope of the mountain started to go down again that Kenshin finally slowed down and came to a stop.

Without a word he crouched to let her down and, a little sore, Kaoru did just that. Just before she closed her eyes as she stretched, she saw Kenshin flex his fingers and she had to admire him a little for the lack of complaint. Carrying her as long as he had couldn't have been easy. But then: neither had being carried been.

"We should probably make camp, shouldn't we? So that Sano can catch up easily later?" Kaoru spoke, deciding it was easier to worry about her childhood friend than the tired slump of Kenshin's shoulders. The red-head responded by lifting his gaze to the skies, searching for the blue along the tops of the trees before he nodded. It was already getting dark.

"This one will search for something to eat, so I will," He offered easily and offered the sword instructor his familiar gentle smile, "Kaoru-dono should get some rest-"

"I'll make a fire," She interrupted, frowning at the _namahage_. It would be easier to distrust him if he would stop looking out for her so much. Her frown turned into a scowl when the red-head opened his mouth to argue.

"This one will leave it to Kaoru-dono to find a good spot for us to rest, then," He said instead, catching her scowl, and his gentle smile had turned into a decidedly more sheepish one when he did.

Satisfied by this, Kaoru did just that.

* * *

It was worrisome that Sano had still not returned by the time they had finished eating.

As always, Kenshin had made an excellent dinner which she grudgingly admitted to him. The red-head had once more promised to teach her how to cook and for a brief moment it felt like she was back in her old home again. But then the worry for Sano came back to lower her spirits and along with her lowered spirits came the concern about her situation.

She hadn't expected to end up alone with the _namahage._

"Sano is a man of great skill," Kenshin told her gently and when she looked back at him she was not surprised to find his eyes fixed on her expression. She wished they would return to their violet colour rather than this demonic gold. "But we have travelled very far, so we have. Sano simply needs some time to catch up, so he does."

"I know…" Kaoru said but trailed off. She wasn't sure how much she wanted to confide in the demon. It seemed days, not hours, since Sanosuke had berated her for bullying Kenshin, demanding she give him a chance.

They had already pulled out their sleeping bags, although secretively the sword instructor wondered how much use Kenshin had for his. Set around the fire that she had build with her own hands, although with some effort, they basked in a heat that was natural and comfortable. It erased most leftover fear that she might have had for fire but it was a small comfort. There was a lot left to be afraid of, these days.

"This one knows Kaoru-dono is still uncomfortable with this one," Kenshin told her, gently, and his eyebrows drew together in simple sadness. Like a child who discovered another would not be his friend. "This one wishes there was something he could do to make Kaoru-dono be more at ease."

"You could tell me what you'll take from me," She immediately replied, the words coming automatically to her. She wasn't surprised to see the red-head's smile turn sheepish.

"This one is deeply sorry but I cannot give Kaoru-dono an answer to a question this one has not figured out himself just yet," He said and Kaoru already turned away from him, scowling. Of course the demon was still refusing to be straight with her. Right now it was his ultimate leverage over her, she thought moodily, why would he give up such a thing?

She could tell that the _namahage_ was looking at her but the sword instructor was in no mood to meet his gaze. Instead she wrapped her arms around her knees and stared stubbornly into the fire: as if that held the answers the red-head would not give her.

"Perhaps…" Kenshin started, hesitantly, and with a touch of insecurity that had Kaoru looking back to him despite herself, "Perhaps one can…tell Kaoru the story of how this one became a demon, so he can. If that might help Kaoru-dono to stop being afraid."

"I'm not afraid," Kaoru denied, immediately, but her temper only flared briefly. Instead curiosity took over as she looked at Kenshin in a new light, "I thought that all demons were just born as one."

"Some are. Sano is, that is," Kenshin told her in his usual soft baritone. He blinked and the gold in his eyes made way for the violet that she preferred.

"This one…this one was made in the Meji Revolution."


	7. The river

**Author's note: Many great thanks to my lovely beta. You have an amazing amount of patience.**

**To Nom de Plume: thank you. I believe constructive critisism will help me become a better writer and I am grateful you took the time to write it. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.**

**.**

**Chapter seven: The river.**

_"Fall seven times, get up eight." ~ Japanese proverb._

_._

_Meji revolution, Kyoto area._

_It was getting harder to ignore: Crawling under his skin, humming with power but hiding in the tangy irony scent that was blood. The liquid was everywhere these days until he wasn't sure whether the calluses on his hands were caused by his sword-fighting or the hour-long washings he took after. _

_He made fountains of red during the night, covered himself with it and rarely, so rarely, was it his own. It haunted the few hours of sleep that he got during the day and muted his senses until everything he tasted had the faint hint of metallic. Everything that is, except sake which tasted foul and bitter. _

_Kenshin only drunk it to be polite._

_Even his body was bleeding. The cut on his cheek refused to heal and began bleeding when he least expected it: usually when the fight was over. He felt the pain only with the muted surprise of a disorientated toddler but barely paid it any attention. It would heal, just like the rest of his body from nights of running, chasing, killing._

"You were an _assassin_?!" Kaoru squeaked, not quite sure what she had expected. Kenshin had the intensity to match, to make her believe his words, but she still found it hard to wrap her mind around it being stated so bluntly.

Not in the least because he had offered to tell her of his past in an attempt to make her feel less afraid. Assassins were not at the top of her list of things that made her feel at ease. Kittens did, or perhaps those flowers they had seen before Anji had showed up, but not _assassins._

The red-head wasn't watching her but gazing into the fire, his violet eyes dark but for once unreadable. Sitting as he was he would've passed for a thoughtful farmboy with his slight shoulders, unusual hair and patched clothes. But the swords, one resting against his shoulder and the other yet again on the ground beside him, revealed his true destiny. No farmland for Himura Kenshin but hidden rooms and envelopes sealing the fate of strangers.

"You must understand, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin spoke as if from far away and though he tilted his head to hide his eyes behind his bangs there was no vulnerability in his voice, "This one was raised to believe that his sword was destined to change the tides. This one believed he could not stand by and do nothing, that is."

"How old were you?" Kaoru whispered, horrified and found yet again that same fear creep over her. Vividly she remembered him standing between the corpses of other demons: not a single drop of blood on him.

"This one joined the rebellion at fourteen."

"_People are dying, master!" His voice was still clear and high and later on would refuse to adopt the embarrassing 'crackle' most teenagers would face. "You have told me that Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu exists to turn the tides. It is wrong to stay up high in the mountains and do nothing!"_

"_Idiot boy," His master retorted and his dark eyes were not just unreadable: they were hard as stone. "People wage war all the time this is of no concern to us."_

"_There are people we can protect," Kenshin insisted with the stubbornness of the youth, "People who can be protected by our sword."_

"_Foolish apprentice," Hiko snorted and when his gaze travelled over Kenshin's form, still growing, still thin but eyes feverish with determination, his apprentice did not waver, "What do you expect to do? You haven't learned all the secrets of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. You, still a student yourself, you'll turn the tide of humanity single handedly?"_

"_No," Kenshin answered and as he did a sense of purpose squared his shoulders and calmed his racing heart, "But I will do what I can and work hard to create a world without fear. Whether I'll succeed or not, I can at least protect as many innocents as I can."_

"_Suit yourself," Hiko replied flippantly, already turning back to head to the top of his beloved mountain, "I can tell you already made up your mind, boy."_

_Kenshin bowed to his retreating back: convinced this would be the last time they would lay eyes on one another._

"Fourteen is a young age to be joining a war," Kaoru frowned and in her mind she imagined Yahiko, stubborn foolish Yahiko, going off to do just that in only a few years time.

"This one wonders at what age Kaoru-dono took over her father's dojo, that I do," Kenshin quietly answered and sent her a small shy smile. It was that smile that made her realize that she was listening, attentively listening, and had forgotten to put her guard up.

She was quick to scowl but at the same time she was reminded of Sano's words just hours before about being nice. Since thinking of her friend only made her stomach ache with worry she was quick to question Kenshin further to distract herself. At least getting to know the man, not just the demon, might take care of one discomfort and get rid of her fear.

"But at what age did you turn into a demon?" Her question was straightforward, yes, but to Kaoru's dismay it was free of aggression. Sitting at this fire, talking to a harmless looking red-head, she was reminded of how it was in the first week they met. When Kenshin had taught her how to cook and she had appreciated his never ending patience.

"Eighteen, so I did," Kenshin all but sighed but Kaoru was relieved to find that his eyes were still violet.

"But…" Puzzled, Kaoru frowned as she pointed out, "you started assassinating people at fourteen."

"This one joined the rebellion at fourteen," Kenshin corrected her gently and folded his arms into his wide sleeves, "This one was not asked to become an assassin until a year later."

"Fifteen, then," Not that that one year made so much of a difference in Kaoru's eyes, "But you didn't turn into a demon until eighteen? What happened to-"

Kaoru was interrupted when Kenshin suddenly lifted his head. She didn't know him that well, not yet, but the days spent in his company had made her wary of his sudden movements. He looked rather like he did when they discovered the wall, as if he was expecting something to happen. He had sensed something but only now she wondered whether it was the demon or the swordsman in him that picked up the signs of trouble so early on.

"Kaoru-dono," He spoke calmly but his movements were careful and very controlled as he stood and attached his swords to his person, "This one believes Kaoru-dono should gather her supplies now."

As she looked at him, her heart leapt to her throat. He was too busy scanning the trees to look at her but she could see his eyes were sharp, calculating and gold.

"Hurry," He urged her.

There weren't many supplies to pack but Kaoru felt it took far too long to gather them all. The urgency in the _namahage's_ voice scared her more than the way he rested his calloused hand on the hilt of his sword. The last few hours had already proven that she had more to fear than Himura Kenshin and she became acutely aware of the silence in the forest.

It was as if the animals sensed danger approaching and for the first time the sword instructor was forced to wonder whether animals feared demons as humans did.

As she grabbed her sleeping bag she became aware of how the cold was already seeping into the fabric of her training gear and she shivered, feeling more vulnerable than she'd like. A glimpse towards the fire reminded her of how useless her eyes would be the moment they put it out. There was hardly any moon out: she would only be able to make out dark shapes in a world of grey.

Just how much did Kenshin's golden eyes reveal to him? Was he as vulnerable as she was or did he thrive on this part of day? Considering the kind of demon he was, and the function his kind had, it was hard to tell. Either way, it became clear that he saw better in the dark than she did.

In a sudden movement Kenshin grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him with enough force to make her lose her sleeping bag before she realized anything was wrong.

Over Kenshin's shoulder she followed his gaze to spot what had made him so protective. In the orange light of their flickering fire she could see the bruises and cuts on his face but there was no mistaking him.

Before them stood the towering figure that was Yukyuzan Anji.

How did he catch up? What happened to Sano? Fear ran through her at that last thought and quickly she assessed the damage that had been done to the dark-eyed _karura. _With some luck she could guess the state her friend was in by studying the state of his former opponent.

His left shoulder sagged and his entire arm seemed useless, there was a rasp in his breath that revealed some internal injuries and he seemed unable to open one eye. Sano had made sure that the bird-like man had not come off lightly. But what of her friend? Sanosuke wouldn't have let Anji chase them if he had not somehow been unable to. Furthermore, whatever had happened to the _basan_ must have happened quickly considering how Anji had already caught up with them.

It was hard to tell whether it was a murderer that stared at them, catching his breath and looking as if he was on the verge of fainting. As he stared there was the sound of steel sliding free and the glint of Kenshin's sword reflected the fire as if it had just been freshly polished. The _namahage_ wasn't taking any chances, no matter how battered Anji looked. Surely the _namahage_ would succeed where the _basan _had not? Kenshin's speed was extraordinary.

But with a chill she realized that his speed was not such that he could stop words.

The _namahage_ tensed, about to attack before the _karura _could, but not even his extraordinary speed could take him further than half-way before Anji could open his mouth.

"**Akurojin-no-hi**," He spoke in a voice deeper than his own that did not allow him to express whatever pain and fatigue he might feel. This time the answering roar of the ghostly fire sounded much louder: as if the summoned spirit was closer than it was before.

Without hesitating the red-head spun on the ball of his foot to turn and slid his sword back into its scabbard. His golden eyes searched for hers and, filled with fear for her friend, for her safety, for that _fire_ Kaoru was eager to meet his gaze.

The _namahage_ reached for her but this time Kaoru was ready. She reached for the fabric covering one shoulder and used the momentum of his movements to swing herself on his back. Kenshin did not tense, as if he expected the movement, but instead reached for her knees to hold her against him. Again she felt his movements poke and press into the spots on her legs which were already bruised but she only held tight onto the fabric that was his _kimono._

Her mind raced.

Kenshin's speed was extraordinary, his grip was firm, but he had to at least still be somewhat tired from their earlier flight. She could not feel the heat of ghostly fire that was the _akurojin-no-hi _but a glance over her shoulder told her it was already creeping over her sleeping bag. They had a head start but only a second more than they did last time and this time the roar of the fire was already so much closer. Not to mention that ghostly fire did not tire as bodies did…

And then there was her friend to consider. Fear reached out with an iron-clad hand and squeezed her heart until she was struggling to breathe. Sano, who they had left behind, who drank too much and laughed too loud. Sano, who got into fights but always stuck up for her. Who had given her a demon and called it a present: could he really be dead?

_No._

She refused to believe it. Anji must've escaped Sano to chase after them. It made sense if Shishio ordered Anji only to attack her. He would have nothing to gain by killing the _basan _and it would only delay him further..

It was this hope that she clung to as strongly as she clung onto Kenshin's shoulders. But the movement brought her closer to the demon's face and she was surprised to find that this time he was breathing faster than expected. _Namahage_ were meant to fight, to kill, but not to run and carry a human around like a mule. If he was already getting tired no matter how slowly…

A new pang of fear, this time for her own life, ran through her. She had not forgotten the fire's sweet seduction.

"Kaoru-dono," Kenshin's baritone cut through her thoughts and she was relieved to hear that his voice, at least, was steady, "You must not worry, so you must not."

"You're already tired," She pointed out and like his her voice was calm although it did carry a mild tremble, "And the fire started closer than it did last time. It'll only gain speed."

"There is a river not too far from here. It's a fast current but this one is convinced Kaoru-dono will manage if she does not fight the current too much, that is."

"You want to cross that river?"

"No," And she was surprised to hear a smile filter through his voice. How could he always sound so confident, even in the face of danger? "We will let it carry us further, so we will."

As they rushed past tree after tree with enough speed to make her heart jump several times, Kaoru considered his words. Throwing themselves into a river, a river with a current no less, would be dangerous.

They could be pulled under; the current could be harsher than they predicted it would be, there could be other demons lurking in the water waiting to attack them. The water would probably not even hold back the ghostly fire that did not burn anything but only existed to make humans ill.

But it would be fast and the pace Kenshin was keeping now would not last long.

His speed was still inhuman, she had to give him that. If she hadn't noticed his breathing she wouldn't suspect anything was wrong: his hands were still firmly keeping her to his body and the wind still tugged at her hair and clothes. Trees passed them quickly but the _namahage_ could not avoid the bushes and low hanging branches that still tugged at the both of them.

She gasped as a stray branch whipped her in the face and reflexively tightened her grip on Kenshin's shoulder. Her cheek stung, she could feel it heating as blood rushed to the spot, but she only curled into the demon and let her carry him further.

His back was hard, far from comfortable, as his muscles moved to bring them further. Scared about falling off, falling behind, Kaoru held him just a little tighter but still the demon did not complain. The roar of the ghostly fire was becoming louder and she knew that it wouldn't be long before the warmth would tickle her back again, just as it had only hours before.

It was difficult to wrap her mind around the fact that it was happening again but then, honestly, her mind was erratic as it was. Her worry for Sano kept a tight grip on her heart, her fear for her life kept her breath shallow and she was still making her mind up about Kenshin.

But right now he was the only familiar face around and he was literally holding her life in his hands.

Throwing caution in the wind she leaned in and closed her eyes, surrendering to the situation to keep blind panic from clouding her mind. Kenshin's hair prickled her skin and surrounded her in a scent that was purely him: masculine but with a hint of the forest already clinging to him. Taking deep breaths she forced herself to calm down, to focus, to return to being the woman fit to raise students.

Calmed, she lifted her head and now the trees speeding by were not quite so dizzying, the roar of the fire no longer quite so threatening. Yes, they were in danger but they had a plan and direction and that was what mattered now.

She would worry about Sano later.

For now, Kaoru's main concern was the speeding of Kenshin's breath. She only noticed because she was focusing on him but still it worried her. Just how much further was it until they reached the river?

A particular loud roar and a lurch of Kenshin's body scared her and she only managed to tighten her hold just in time. The fire had moved, no longer closing in on them in a straight line, and had attempted to catch them from the side. It was only Kenshin's fast reflexes that saved them, even if they did narrowly miss a tree in the process. For something that would only make her ill, which would take its time to kill her, it was remarkably aggressive.

"We're almost there, so we are," Kenshin told her, interested Kaoru straightened a little to try and see the river.

She didn't see a river. She saw a steep ledge.

"Kenshin?" She asked, beginning to feel worried.

"You'll be fine, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin answered but for once she did not believe his confident tones.

"Kenshin," She said a little louder as the _namahage_ turned towards what would certainly be a sudden drop. Surely he wasn't..?

"Kenshin!" She cried, as she realized that he _would_ and that he _was_ and that she had no idea how steep their fall would be.

The red-head did not pause: there was no hesitation at all as he steered them towards the ledge. Briefly his hands tightened as they came closer and at first Kaoru thought that he was afraid that she would panic. But then she realized it was tension, tension because the fire was getting closer and she could already hear the seductive hisses. However, the thought of that ghostly fire didn't stop her from shrieking when she felt Kenshin's foot brace on the ledge and throw them into the unknown.

"_Kenshin!_" She shrieked, closing her eyes and reaching around to wrap her arms around his shoulders instead of only holding on with her hands.

It was no use, she could hold onto him all she liked but they were both airborne now. Instinctively she leaned in to hide her face against his shoulder, closing her eyes tightly as she tried to prepare for what was to come. She felt Kenshin's grip on her legs tighten, reflexively, and had only time to gasp for air once before they hit the water.

The force of their fall was stunning, stinging her already abused skin, and knocking her chin into Kenshin's shoulder before it tore him completely away. She reached for him but she could only feel the fabric of what must have been his _kimono_ briefly before the current pulled him out of her reach. Kaoru was forced to face the water alone.

It was shockingly cold.

Pressing in from all sides, the temperature of the water shocked her before the strength of it did. She was being dragged along like a ragdoll and although she kicked and trashed she realized that she wasn't sure which way was up. The water spun and twisted her without her permission and dark shapes flickered across her tightly closed eyelids before she could decide whether she was facing up or down.

This was nothing like the occasional summer swims of her childhood, this was a fight and struggle and already she was losing. Her palms brushed against the coarse river's floor, most likely cutting open her skin although the cold did not let her feel it. Her hair was all around her like constricting snakes, her clothes were being tugged and twisted, and occasionally she felt things brush against her that would've hurt had they made direct contact.

Feeling the air in her lungs pressing against her ribs, as if vying for release, Kaoru tried to force her mind to clear and to remain calm. It took some effort, however, to find the calm centre that always guided her through fights.

The water didn't just drag her along but pressed onto her body from all sides, constantly reminding her of the force behind it and there was no denying that it was a power bigger than her. Her limbs felt like those of a child, not of a powerful sword instructor, as feverish kicking and pushing seemed to do nothing to bring her closer to the surface. The cold was hurting her head, numbing her hands and legs, and further intensifying the feeling of trapped air that she held in her chest.

Forcibly she focused her mind on the things that would help her. She knew she had some air left, and although the heavy fabric of her _uwagi_ and _hakama_ would be a pain later on at least for now they protected her from the sticks and stones being dragged along with the current. All she needed was a plan, something to focus her mind on and deliberately work for to keep the panic from sinking in.

_It's a fast current but this one is convinced Kaoru-dono will manage if she does not fight the current too much, that is._

It seemed that she would have to blindly trust her red-headed companion yet again.

Cursing the red-head in her mind, she turned her face away from the current, trying to align her body so that she moved with it rather than against. Immediately her clothing felt less constricting and the flickers of dark and light remained constant. A spark of hope alighted in her chest and quickly the sword instructor assessed her situation.

Kaoru realized that she was floating along with the current with her stomach facing its bedding and immediately she arched her spine and kicked her legs. Struggling to the top was hard, her heavy clothing weighed her down and her lungs were now burning with unreleased air. Yet it was no longer a fight without purpose and the deliberate movements of her body finally made some progress.

Kaoru's head broke through the surface and she let out a gasp of relief. That brief moment of triumph quickly turned into tension however for her situation had only improved minimally. Her breath felt hard to catch, the water pressing on her chest and tugging her down, and she had to struggle to keep her head above the water.

"Kenshin?!" She called, opening her eyes and searching the water's surface. Maybe if they held on together they wouldn't have to struggle so hard to keep their head above water?

However Kenshin was nowhere to be seen and already she realized that her clothing was too heavy and her chin was touching the water. Furthermore, the cold was making her breath shallow and quick and the last thing she needed now was to feel as if she was suffocating even with her head above the water.

"Kenshin!" She called again, in panic this time, and wishing that he could once more protect her. Soon she was forced to take one last deep breath before the water pulled her under and spun her despite the fact that she tried to go with the current, instead of fighting against it.

Spreading her fingers only made them vulnerable to the sticks and stones travelling along with her, she found, but it took some effort to stop herself from instinctively clawing at whatever she could find. As if a handhold would save her now with her muscles already burning with exhaustion.

She was used to the flashes of cold water rushing over her skin, it seemed that some part of the river were colder than others, but there was something new in the water now. Kaoru could feel a presence around her, like a creature sniffing at her ankles, and new terror washed over her.

There were demons in the mountains, after all.

Desperately she swam to the surface again and to her surprise the water felt thicker around her. At first this scared her, thinking it would only weigh her down further, but to her surprise it finally felt as if her limbs had a shot against the rush of the water. It brought her to the surface much faster than it did before and as she struggled to catch her breath Kaoru realised that it was easier to keep her head above the water.

Something was helping her.

"Kaoru-dono!" It was Kenshin's urgent baritone that rang across the water and eagerly she turned to search for him. His eyes were golden but for the first time the sword instructor felt no stab of fear: she had other things to worry about.

"Kenshin!" She called with equal intensity, raising her arm above the water as she tried to swim towards him.

She quickly realized that this was a bad idea as the sleeve of her _uwagi _was heavy enough to pull her arm down with a harsh splash. If she kept her arms _in _the water however, she found that she could influence where her body was going.

That presence was still around her, helping her keep her head above the water and making her feel as if the thick fabric of her _hakama _was only brushing around her legs, rather than constricting them. In fact, her entire body felt lighter than it did before as inch after inch she manoeuvred herself closer to the demon. What was holding her up?

"Are you doing that?" She gasped when she was close enough to the _namahage_ to see the scar on his face.

Kenshin didn't reply at first, too focused on making his way to her. There were several bruises and cuts on his face, she probably looked no better, but like her he seemed able to move himself through the current now. He didn't make a direct line for her but instead swum more diagonally, most likely to save energy. Nevertheless, he was panting as they finally came close and when he reached for her with one hand Kaoru stuck out her arm in return.

His fingers curled around her upper arm and pulled her to him, enabling her to hold onto his _kimono _with one hand, using the other to keep her head above water. His breath felt hot on her cold face, uncomfortably so, but Kaoru had never been more relieved to see another person in her life. Facing the current, now, felt a lot better than facing it alone.

"Kaoru-dono," Kenshin's voice only wavered slightly, somewhat shallower as he fought to catch his breath, "It will be alright, so it will."

"What's happening?" She breathed, the cold and the constant pressure of the water making it hard for her to gather enough breath to speak, "Are you..?"

"This one will explain later, so he will," Kenshin answered and his eyes slid away from her face to instead look at their surroundings, "For now, it's important that we get out of the water, that it is."

For the first time Kaoru felt getting out of the water was an option. Now that she no longer had to fight so hard to keep her head above water she had room to think about getting out of it. But her muscles were aching, her skin felt numb with cold and even as they let the current bring them further she could feel exhaustion beginning to set in.

Nevertheless, something was helping them. Something was giving them just enough aid that they could keep their heads out of the water using nothing but their legs and one arm. Perhaps this presence would also assist in getting them to the river banks. The river was deep, deep enough to pull them under, but it wasn't very wide. Perhaps if they reached the banks of the river the current would no longer tug so heavily on their bodies.

There were too many uncertainties for Kaoru's comfort but she could only grit her teeth and push away that nagging unease.

"W-what do y-you suggest?" She asked and to her dismay she realized her teeth were clattering. It was cold, far too cold, for even the gentle gust of night air was beginning to sting her skin.

"If we swim diagonally we might reach the banks, that we might," Kenshin answered, his eyes fixated on looking out for stray rocks peeking above the water that might harm them, "It is no use struggling directly against the tide, that is."

Easy for him to say, Kaoru couldn't help but suspect that the demon had an endless supply of adrenaline. The chase and the subsequent struggle in the water had made her dangerously tired. But what else could they do? She couldn't stay in the water forever, as her clattering teeth were making very clear. Stubbornly she tightened her jaw, not just to stop the clattering, and nodded to show she understood.

"Kaoru-dono," Kenshin said, more quietly this time, and when she looked up she was a little startled to meet the intensity of his golden eyes, "You'll do fine, that you will."

If she had the energy she might've blushed in embarrassment but all Kaoru could manage was a weary nod. Gathering her courage she pushed away from Kenshin to once again struggle against the tide of the water.

It seemed to take ages to get to the river banks. The current was still strong, even with that strange presence keeping them near the surface, and Kaoru found that she had to be patient if she wanted to make progress. As long as she swam carefully and deliberately she would edge towards the river bank.

It seemed to take far too long. Once or twice she had tried to push herself, to get out of that blasted water already, only to find it too much of a strain on her body. It took only the reminder of that cold water on her chin for her to stop hurrying and instead move deliberately.

The water pushed and pulled at her, tugging on her clothing but Kaoru set her gaze on the river bank and did not look away. Finally she came close enough to try and reach the sandy floor of the river with her feet. She felt a stab of hope when her sandal brushed over the wet sand but finding no foothold she was soon dragged away.

A few more pushes got her in water that was shallow enough for her to use the bottom to push herself forward. Now that she had something to brace against it was much easier to move and already her shoulders were lifting free of the water. Gathering the last of her strength Kaoru pushed forward with her legs, propelling her body into the more shallow water.

She scrambled and stumbled during the last few lengths and though she felt the drag of her drenched clothing she nevertheless felt unspeakable joy. Sand was under her feet, harmless water at her ankles and finally she could take the last step onto solid ground.

She had made it. She was alive.

Kaoru choked on what could either be laughter or tears as she flung herself onto the forest floor, away from the water, and for a moment she just focused on the feeling of not having to strain her muscles quite that badly anymore. She could still feel the pull of the water, feeling as if the earth was moving underneath her and it took her some time to fully believe that she had made it out of the river and catch her breath. Then with a groan she pushed up with her arms so that she could look for her lost companion.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru called, tiredly pushing her hair from her face but feeling another stab of fear. If something happened to him…

"Kaoru-dono," Came the tired reply and Kaoru found that she had to look from the way she had come to find the wet demon. It seemed that he had gotten out of the water before she did and had been following her progress, "This one is glad to see you're alright, so I am."

Kaoru looked up and couldn't bring herself to mind Kenshin's golden eyes. He was here, he was alive, and she was not left to face the mountain and forest alone.

His white hands were clutched around both of his swords but they were trembling and Kaoru realized that the demon had to be just as exhausted as she was. His hair was three shades darker, his clothing was clinging to his slender frame and he was panting with exhaustion but he was alive and so was she.

Relief, sheer relief, flooded through her system and Kaoru could do no more than send him a watery smile before bursting out in choked gasps she wasn't even sure was laughter or tears. It took some time for her to find herself again, terror and adrenaline still in her system, but there wasn't much time to waste.

Already the cool air of the night was making her shiver uncontrollably and the fabric of her clothing was uncomfortably cold against her skin. When she forced herself upright, she noticed that Kenshin had attached his swords to his person again and was already eyeing the forest around them.

Impatiently she ran her hands across her face, clearing excess water of what could either be river or tears from her face. Then she stood and found that it was surprisingly difficult with her muscles so tired and her clothing so heavy.

"Do you think we can make camp?" Kaoru asked between teeth that yet again were starting to chatter. In fact, her whole body was trembling and she could think of nothing but the heat of a fire.

"Yes," Kenshin responded calmly and began to lead her into the forest, "Anji looked as if he was barely able to stand, so he did. But even if he was well enough to give chase, it is important that we build a fire, so it is. It will not do for Kaoru-dono to get ill."

Kaoru had nothing to add to that but even if she had, she found that she didn't have the energy to spare. Just picking up her legs and forcing them to move deeper into the forest was a chore on its own. It made her uncomfortably aware of how much of an easy prey she would be and with a shiver she began twisting the cloth of her sleeves as they were walking. She could at least make a head start in trying to get dry.

Kenshin didn't take them very far and it was a relief that he didn't. Her knees were trembling, her teeth were chattering and the grey smudges under Kenshin's eyes told Kaoru that the demon wasn't feeling much better. In wordless agreement they began gathering wood that would give them a few hours of warmth before they had to go and gather more.

All of their supplies had been lost in either the fight or the river but somehow it didn't take long before Kenshin had a fire going. She supposed it was his experience in travelling that made it look easy but she was nevertheless grateful for his skill. The fire was only starting, still building up heat, but already she could feel its warmth wash over her and sighed in relief.

Kaoru wasted no time in settling in front of the fire, wishing that her clothes weren't quite so cold. She could feel the warmth beginning to seep through the saturated cloth but it would take hours before they would dry. Did that mean that they would have to miss hours of sleep? She doubted she could sleep in wet, cold clothing no matter how tired she was.

"Kaoru-dono, this one…that is…It would be best…" Kenshin's fumbling words made her look up and to her surprise she found that he was blushing. She realized that he was carefully looking away from her, stripping a branch of its bark with more focus than she thought it necessary.

She blinked at him, not quite sure where he was going with his fumbling words and large branch. Her confusion must have shown in her face for Kenshin sighed in defeat and pushed his wet hair from his blushing face.

"Kaoru-dono...This one intends to hang his _kimono _over a branch to dry, that is. But if that makes Kaoru-dono uncomfortable…"

"Oh!" She cried, suddenly unable to meet Kenshin's eyes, "Well…I mean…"

Was this how it had to be? Her, a trained sword instructor who had just won a fight for her life, fumbling over words like a young clueless girl?

"On hot days Sano walked around with a bare torso all the time," She said dismissively and far more bravely than she felt, "And besides, we just survived that river haven't we? I think we can manage a…a little…"

Not being able to find the right words, at least not ones that weren't completely embarrassing, Kaoru trailed off in a mumble. Kenshin only smiled one of his gentle smiles and began working the branch into the ground near the fire. She noticed only now that it had split ends which would hold the cloth open to dry faster.

Her _kimono_ somehow felt colder and wetter on top of her shoulders as she watched him work. Wouldn't it make more sense to make something bigger that would hold both their _kimono_? Her face felt hot at the thought but the truth was she was cold and wet and her breast bindings would keep her somewhat decent, at least.

Somewhere, she was sure, her father was turning in his grave.

"Kenshin…" She started hesitantly and felt her face flush even hotter when his golden eyes moved to hers. She wished he willed them back to violet already. Was it the adrenaline that kept them that fierce colour?

"It shouldn't take too long for the _kimono _to dry if we keep them close to the fire, that it should not," He said, either reading her thoughts or expression. At that moment Kaoru wasn't very sure which one. "This one can keep his back to Kaoru-dono while they dry."

Another gust of cold air decided for her. She began searching for a branch like Kenshin's, something which split at the ends. If they put a long branch between those two branches then they'd be able to dry their clothing like they did back at home. Right now, anything that was familiar and reminded her of home felt like a good idea.

Of course, the bindings on her breast and her _hakama _would still be cold and wet but her neighbours would have a heart attack if they knew what a proper young lady like her was doing now. Still, they were lucky, really, that summer was still in the air and Kaoru was grateful for it.

Together it didn't take long to find another thick branch, one with a split end, but it did take some work to set it securely in the ground not too far from the one Kenshin had already set up. Once they managed however, they found another long thinner branch of which Kenshin shed the bark before placing it in the nook of the split ends. This way the third branch was held up by the two others and a quick tug from Kenshin proved that it'd be sturdy enough to hold up their _kimono. _

Golden eyes glanced up at her and with ears heating Kaoru quickly turned her back to him. She heard Kenshin untie his _kimono_ behind her, heard him lift the third branch so that he could slide the wet cloth over it. A few more tugs and his _kimono_ was secure and she heard a scuffling sound that told her he sat down.

"Done," Kenshin told her quietly and only then did Kaoru dare to peek over her shoulder. Kenshin was sitting with his back towards the fire and both his swords resting on either side of him. His knees were drawn up and his hands were already busy wringing the water from his long red hair.

In the flickering light of their fire, Kaoru could clearly see the many scars that covered his back. Somehow it seemed all the more real that this man, not too long ago, had been a man of battle.

Yet strangely, that thought did not scare the sword instructor. Her father, after all, had been no different during the war. Perhaps he had not _assassinated_ people, but he had _killed_. It had been the reason why he developed the sword style she still used.

Turning away from the sight of the surprisingly slender demon, who now looked all the more slender now that the big folds of his _kimono _were gone, Kaoru quickly began loosening her _kimono. _It felt indecent, standing in only her breast bindings and _hakama_ and the sword instructor found that embarrassment was not so easily suppressed.

Or perhaps it was _shyness _that she felt. She had never been partially undressed in the presence of a man before. Years of upbringing were nagging at her.

Nevertheless she took her time to make sure that the wrinkles were free from her sleeves as she pushed the branch through them, enabling her _kimono_ to properly dry. A moment later and she was settled in front of the fire, gathering her hair to follow Kenshin's example.

Naturally her blue eyes were drawn back to his scarred back. The demon was humming quietly to himself as he was carefully untangling and then wringing his hair. He seemed relaxed, content, and if those swords had not been there he would have looked quite harmless.

Was that why she reacted so hostile towards him? The fact that he didn't look as terrifying as she knew he was?

Yet, as she chewed her bottom lip and studied the red-headed demon Kaoru did not feel convinced this was the case. But at the same time it could no longer be denied that it was the man's gentility, his _likableness_ that made her so defensive. Had she not thought, several times now, that it would have been easier being tied to a demon she could hate?

She still did not know how long Kenshin would be there to protect her.

"Kaoru-dono," Kenshin stated in those low calm tones that he used on her when he was still in that mirror. That soothing sound that made her feel he was completely in control of the situation, despite everything. "Is there something on your mind?"

He must have felt her staring. A stab of embarrassment rushed through her but Kaoru did not let it distract her. Instead she looked into the flames of the fire and tried to gather her thoughts.

"Kenshin," She started and she could hear the hesitant tone in her voice. But no longer was her tone aggressive. "Why did you tell me you were an assassin? I thought you said you wanted to help me stop being afraid of you?"

"Ah," Kenshin's voice was full of understanding and just a touch of amusement. Even with his back to her she knew that he was probably smiling, "This one was interrupted in his story telling, so he was."

"Oh…" Well, the sudden presence of a huge flame-summoning demon would do that to a person, "So what was it that you really wanted to tell me?"

"This one…this one has vowed to never kill a human again, so I have. Kaoru-dono would have been protected by this one even if the contract had not been made, that is."

Well, that took some thinking over. She doubted that they would have much time to discuss it even if they hadn't so desperately needed their sleep. Adrenaline, after all, took some time to replace and Kaoru could feel fatigue starting to get to her. Perhaps that was why Kenshin, instead of telling her the full detailed story, simply gave this statement.

He trusted her to believe him. Now all she needed to do was do the same.

"How, though?" Puzzled, Kaoru shook her head and began carefully working the tie from her hair. The water had made it uncomfortably tight and her hair would never dry if she kept it up in a pony tail. "If you are bound by magic to deal with broken contracts...Those include deals made between demons and humans, right? Not just those between demons?"

"This one does not need to kill humans to punish them, so he does not," Kenshin told her quietly before he reached down beside him. A light toss put one of his swords in reach of her hand and curiously Kaoru picked it up. The sheath felt cool to the touch and still a little wet but it was worn and therefore comfortable in her hands. However she did not get what Kenshin meant, on the outside it looked like an ordinary sword…

Curiously Kaoru slid the sword from its sheath just enough to let the blade catch the light and frowned when she realized it didn't do so like a normal sword. In fact, when she inspected it closely she realized something odd.

"This blade is dull!" She exclaimed and instinctively she looked up at Kenshin again. He was still facing away from her but he had stopped wringing his hair. As if he didn't want anything to distract him from the conversation they were having.

"The _sakabatou_, a reversed blade sword," Kenshin told her quietly, but in a voice that held commitment and determination, "My vow to never kill a human being again."

In the carefully maintained steel of the reverse blade sword, Kaoru saw her surprised gaze looking back. The glint of light told her that Kenshin had not lied, that the wrong side was indeed the sharp one.

"But if you can't kill a person, how can you punish them according to how badly they've broken their contract?"

"This one does not need to kill," Kenshin answered and this time his voice held that hint of danger that had scared her so much before. It was a demon who answered her question, not a man, "To punish a man. In fact, this one believes that death can often be the more merciful of the two."

Perhaps it should have scared her. Perhaps she should have once again reacted out in anger, in violence, in fear. But all Kaoru could think of was that Sano, wild, boisterous Sano, was truly not all that different. In fact, if she thought about it, could it not be said that most _human_ males were just like that? Not to mention that she was far too tired and too relieved to be alive and not alone to allow any room for anger.

"I don't think Shishio shares your views," Kaoru replied ironically, "I doubt it's _mercy_ that makes him so determined to kill me."

"Once we get to Kyoto this one will make sure Kaoru is in a place Shishio cannot touch her, so I will. And in either case, Shishio has spent far too many resources trying as it is. This one is confident there won't be as many dangers to face for the rest of the journey," Kenshin replied calmly and Kaoru appreciated his attempt to ease her worries.

Right now, Shishio was a far more real threat than he had ever been back at home, even after what had happened to Yahiko. She had never expected him to be this set, this determined, on killing her. That he would try again so very soon…

"I've lost my _bokken_," Kaoru confided and hesitated before finally admitting, "But I think you might have been right, back at Megumi's place. I'm not sure it can protect me any longer."

"Against humans it would have served you fine, so it would."

"And against demons?"

"This one intended to not let it get that far, so I did."

"I would prefer to protect myself, if I could," Kaoru answered and found that she did not say so out of pride so much as out of honesty, "Isn't there anything that I can use without having to throw away my father's teachings?"

Once again she was certain that she heard a smile in Kenshin's voice as he answered knowledgably.

"Yes."

"Like what?"

"Kaoru-dono is holding it now, so she is."

The sword instructor looked down to her pale hands still gripping so securely and suddenly felt she understood.

The _sakabatou._


End file.
